Hope and Lotus Partner to 'Push the Boundaries of Bicycle Design and Technology'

Oct 22, 2019
by James Smurthwaite  
photo

Lotus has stepped back into the cycling industry after 25 years in a partnership with Hope that is said to be a "collaborative programme of research and development, data analysis and knowledge-sharing."

Lotus may be best known for their production and Formula 1 cars, but this isn't the first time they've dipped their toes into the cycling world. In 1992, they designed a track bike for Chris Boardman at the Barcelona Olympics. Boardman won the 4000m pursuit (Britain's first cycling medal in 72 years) and set a new world record of 4 minutes 24.496 seconds in the quarter-finals. The monocoque design was banned by the UCI in the 1996 Lugano Charter, but the bike remains an icon to this day.

photo

Basically, Lotus being back in the cycling world could mean some pretty interesting and different products on the market. Their partnership with Hope means that some of that could trickle into the mountain bike world too. The two companies will apparently be working on, "lightweight engineering, aerodynamics and advanced material manufacturing," but we don't have any information as to what that will entail yet.

Clearly this is a partnership to keep an eye on and we'll let you know what comes out of it as soon as we are able.

bigquotesWhen we started making innovative, highly-spec’ed disc brakes, back in the late Eighties, we didn’t imagine that Hope Technology would evolve into what it is today – a company with more than 150 employees hand-crafting components for both mountain and road bikes, 24-7. We are proud to have stuck rigidly to our philosophy, relentlessly pursuing only the best possible products. To be partnering with Lotus is certainly a great place to find ourselves in 2019, and it’s an exciting time for us all.”—Ian Weatherill, Managing Director, Hope Technology

bigquotesLotus is thrilled to be back in cycling for the first time in 25 years. Innovation and ingenuity have always been part of the Lotus DNA, and working in collaboration with Hope is a fantastic illustration of how the Lotus Engineering consultancy can support projects outside of the automotive sector.—Phil Popham, CEO, Lotus Cars


Press Release: Hope

World-leading bicycle component manufacturer Hope Technology and internationally recognised automotive consultancy Lotus Engineering have announced an exciting new partnership.

The joint venture has been established to explore new ways to push the boundaries of bicycle design and technology. At its heart will be a collaborative programme of research and development, data analysis and knowledge-sharing, covering topics such as lightweight engineering, aerodynamics and advanced material manufacturing.

Hope Technology is a well-established and highly regarded British brand that’s fully ensconced within the cycling industry and has always built its business and its reputation on making top-quality products. It has been designing, creating, manufacturing and testing innovative components for bikes at its Lancashire HQ for 30 years. Countless British bikes and riders have benefitted from Hope products and today the business exports around half of its output. After years of success in racing, it has recently moved into making complete, ready-to-ride bikes.

Lotus Engineering is the internationally recognised automotive consultancy division of Group Lotus, best known globally for its iconic British performance cars. The current range – the Elise, Exige and Evora – are the spiritual successors to legendary Lotus models such as the Esprit, Elan and Elite, still much-loved around the world. Earlier this year Lotus revealed the Evija, an all-electric two-seater that will go on sale next year. With a target figure of 2,000 PS, it will be the world’s most powerful series production road car ever. Other new Lotus models will follow.

While Lotus is best known as a car company, it has a proud and highly successful history in cycling through its Lotus Engineering division. In the Nineties, Lotus was instrumental in the design and development of bikes for cycling legend Chris Boardman at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, where he won gold, and in the 1994 Tour de France, where he won the prologue time trial to the famous yellow jersey. The Lotus Sport bike – instantly recognisable for its aerodynamic design – remains to this day an iconic symbol of outstanding British sporting success.


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133 Comments
  • 485 8
 I can see some cheap and affordable stuff coming out from this relationship
  • 6 237
flag endurocat (Oct 22, 2019 at 14:57) (Below Threshold)
 The Specialized/McLaren bikes were around $20,000
At the end of the partnership , the bikes were about $10,000
So, not cheap at all.
  • 250 0
 @endurocat: whooooosh
  • 158 0
 Is it a bird? is it a plane? no, its sarcasm!
  • 28 5
 @dhftw1231: I dont get it. Sarcasm can fly over my head? That does not make much sense
  • 2 1
 ¿
  • 34 1
 @chillrider199: nothing flies over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it.
  • 41 3
 @pakleni Hope and Lotus being criticized by a Swiss for it being too expensive, what a world we live in Big Grin
  • 32 0
 @Balgaroth: I know. The world is falling apart.

Here in Ch we have a bunch of e-riders that are way faster on uphills than on the way down, the grocery stores are selling weed without any THC and this summer "Bella ciao" was on Top40 most popular songs. In the middle of Switzerland.

The winter is coming..
  • 1 1
 ???????? great thread and ending
  • 136 7
 Whatever it is, it better have a USB port for vape charging.
  • 11 0
 If it doesn’t have at least 3 bottle holders and 2 banana mounts then they should just liquidate the businesses right now
  • 10 0
 @toad321: to be fair if they first liquidate the bananas then they go in the bottles thereby negating the UCI requirement for banana holders
  • 114 2
 Hi tech is over rated, just need some washing machine parts & a Raleigh burner frame to go fast?
  • 27 0
 A negative props from someone probably not getting the reference.
  • 5 0
 @mgolder: it’s all about the Q factor... but boost really helped with that
  • 3 0
 @mgolder: I won't neg prop but I don't get the reference so if you can elaborate that'd be great for my general bike culture ! Thanks !
  • 12 0
 @Balgaroth: search for a guy called Graeme Obree.
  • 5 0
 @Balgaroth: apparently Obree found out that to produce his max power based on his specific physiology, he needed his feet to be very close together when pedalling. Unfortunately normal bottom brackets were giving him too wide a Q factor so he looked outside the bike industry and ended up using the main bearing from a washing machine because it allowed the pedals to be really close together.
  • 3 0
 @Balgaroth: see @jaame explanation + add to that Obree and his homemade bicycle was the main rival and beat records sets by olympic champ Chris Boardman on the Lotus 110 while upsetting the whole cycling world with his innovative and efficient positions.
  • 2 0
 @opignonlibre: yeah you’re more right. It was more about the superman position than the washing machine bearing!
  • 54 2
 I hope this will flower into a beautiful relationship.
  • 35 0
 I have a hunch their first collaboration will be clipless petals.
  • 6 0
 Well, that's YOUR position.
  • 7 8
 @woofer2609: Clipless PETALS with thorns maybe!
  • 13 4
 Lutus not jump to conclusions
  • 17 2
 Thats some Elite level punning but can you keep it up for Evora?
  • 19 1
 @Dropthedebt: I'm sure he can, Elise for a little bit longer.
  • 2 1
 @woofer2609: Oh SNAP! This comment wins...
  • 41 1
 Lotus. Lots of trouble usually serious.
  • 14 0
 I will still forever want a white 1966 Ford-Lotus Cortina Mk1 with BRG racing stripe. Sleeper AF
  • 5 0
 Upgrade to Lucas lighting.
  • 1 0
 Personally, I'd like to see what McLaren can do for bikes.
  • 1 0
 @sngltrkmnd: Google "Specialized Mclaren" They did some stuff a few years ago.
  • 6 1
 Say what you want but Lotus knows their way around high performance vehicles.
  • 21 0
 @mnorris122: They know their way around a tow truck as well.
  • 2 2
 They're powered by Toyota Corolla engines...
  • 7 0
 Didn't Renault make bikes and competes in F1 racing? I think it is cool to see bicycle tech trickle down into F1 car racing.
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: Slow af too, but yeah, a nice little car.
  • 1 0
 Having had a few id disagree. Lots of trouble usually stupid - is far more accurate!
  • 1 0
 @watchtower: True, but I have odd tastes like the Simca 1000 Rallye, Renault Gordini R8, Lancia Fulvia HF. Of course, I've always wanted a Renault Alpine A110 since seeing them in the Alps in the late 70s but that's not gonna happen.
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: I was traveling in Western NY this summer and saw an A110 parked on the side of a busy street. Never had seen one in the flesh before. Pulled over so fast I almost gave everyone in my grandma’s van whiplash. Haha
  • 2 0
 You can jump it off the beach and it turns into a submarine though.
  • 1 0
 @endlessblockades: nice pick of cars, thought you'd be all dodge charger
  • 1 0
 @pigman65: Haha. I do deserve that, I'll concede.
  • 37 0
 It’s gonna be a race team sponsored by Rich Energy
  • 3 0
 Ouch!
  • 1 0
 Good deal for White Bikes then me thinks...
  • 37 1
 And next, we will have Sram and Fiat
  • 8 0
 I think we're more likely to see a Sram / Jeep collaboration, since Jeep is the American Fiat
  • 47 4
 Sram and Alfa Romeo: Pushing new boundaries in unreliability.
  • 43 0
 @AD4M: Can't wait for the Shimano and Toyota reliability collab
  • 11 0
 @matt-15: TRDeore
  • 2 0
 @endlessblockades: SO MANY GOLD COMMENTS!!! This post has made my day w the comment potential...
  • 1 1
 My dream come true! Wait. Being British, you probably don’t mean that in a good way.
  • 3 1
 @matt-15: Shimano is Mitsubishi: XTR was last awesome when they still made Evo’s.
  • 3 0
 @matt-15: XTRD
  • 29 2
 Well...since most Lotus cars run largely on Hope these days...this tie-in is appropriate. That said...the mountain bike equivalent of a Lotus Seven would be a thing of much interest.
  • 3 0
 Well I guess these days they won't be building a Lotus Europa again!
  • 1 0
 @mudcycles: Perhaps. Though now that Lotus are majority owned by the Chinese auto company, Geely (who also own Volvo) I'm not sure that matters.

With luck, Lotus will soon find themselves where Volvo is now and hope will have nothing to do with it. As for Hope...they can only benefit from the skills and nous at Lotus Engineering when it comes to engineering and manufacturing bikes.
  • 18 0
 Surprised they haven't reached out to me about the marketing
  • 14 6
 I don't want the Lotus of the bike world. I want the Lexus of the bike world: within reach pricing, reliable, and good resale.
  • 3 0
 This.
  • 24 13
 So you want a Specialized?
  • 13 1
 Or you could just buy a Toyota.
  • 7 7
 Lexus? Slow, heavy, overpriced.
  • 7 1
 @Powderface: Compared to other 'luxury' brands they are cheap, and umpteen times more reliable as they are rebadged, glorified super vehicles (Toyotas). They also have some very fast cars out there, which are some of the lighter cars in their class.
  • 6 1
 Lexus is just a souped up Toyota
  • 1 0
 @Stumpjumper12: If I were a Lexus I would say your welcome to that comment.
  • 1 0
 What's the Ariel of the bike world (bare bones and fast as hell)?
  • 1 0
 @Stumpjumper12: So is a Lotus... Or at least the drivetrain is
  • 2 4
 So Knolly?
  • 2 1
 @src248: Plenty of K-series swap kits available... and there's always the 2gr option, they even come factory on the new ones Big Grin
2zz was... a bit of a letdown.

As for lexii being slow/heavy/overpriced.... maaybe heavy (hybrids), waaaaay more reliable & cheaper to own than certain german marques (why the h*** do bmw DI engines keep disintegrating their HPFPs is beyond me, and that's just one thing), plenty of fast ones (anything rwd with 3.5 v6, anything UZ, anything UR, most hybrids and if you're feeling ridiculous.. JZ swapped 1is/2gs, reliable to stupid hp numbers).

Kinda sad that they're rare around here... and for some reason EU doesn't get some of the best ones (is&gs350), and others are overgeared (450h - 3.769 FD in the US/JPN, 3.266 EU).
  • 2 0
 @bvd453: I believe Jeremy Clarkson once described driving a Lexus as 'like reading a Jane Austen novel while sitting in a tub of warm wallpaper paste.' I cannot for the life of me name a mountain bike that could provide an equivalent experience.
  • 4 1
 @Lwerewolf: @Lwerewolf: Why is there always someone on the internet banging on about engine codes and 2jz blah blah cry the new supra isn't a supra
  • 3 0
 @Lwerewolf: Working in the bike industry I am quite accustomed to complete alphanumeric gibberish but you car folks... You take it to a new level. I'm not sure if I'm impressed or dismayed.
  • 1 0
 @Lwerewolf: the problem with Lexus is their horrifically ugly front end with that horrible giant grill thing. You look at the specs and think "worth a test drive", then you see the thing from the front and gag a little.
  • 1 0
 @bvd453: Lotus hard to beat on resale they tend to drop a bit then stay that value forever. If you bought a 2nd hand Series 1 Elise 15 years ago you could likely sell it for the same amount today.
  • 1 2
 @Jamestyrrell: why is there always someone on the internetZ banging on about part codes and bomber blah blah cry the new bomber aint a bomber
...I mean, what got you frustrated, exactly? ^_^
Jury's still out on the new supra, we'll know better in a year or two. So far so good.

@fullfacemike: you get used to it, just like bikes. Most of the time it's not gibberish... except for Toyota engine codes (pre-a25a/v35a), the first number is a "revision/variant" thing, kinda annoying. Otherwise, think of shimano/sram product codes. Most serious discussions revolve around these as well Smile

@dthomp325: Mostly agree with you about the grille, works for certain vehicles... total disaster on others. Sadly, not the only manufacturer with "striking visual identity" issues.
  • 2 0
 @dthomp325: Bikes like these are the overlooked bare bones Ariel speed demons of the bike world.
  • 1 0
 @Stumpjumper12: Its a Toyota with Di2.
  • 1 0
 @dthomp325:

Stell HTs
  • 8 0
 So Hope is going to make an E-bike powered by Lotus. That’s what this is about would be my guess.
  • 2 1
 Yea hope makes the mountain bike, Lotus provides the engine.
  • 9 5
 Wow. So many people have so little idea about Lotus' cars! They're generally considered to be, for the last decade at least, well built, decent value for money given the performance, and reliable. But that's not as fun as the stereotypes eh!
  • 5 1
 I worked on these cars for almost a decade. They are disposable junk, so very far from reliable. Fun to drive though!
  • 8 1
 @gnarnaimo: Which decade though?
  • 2 0
 @src248: Doesn’t matter all that much. Since the company is controlled by Chinese quality has improved a little, but not by much.
  • 1 0
 @src248: I stopped working on Lotus 7 years ago.
  • 8 0
 Raleigh and reliant have made a bike with 1 wheel at the front
  • 5 0
 Hope thay redesign the girvin flex stem with a 4 bar carbon linkage, like those cool forks every one brought...
  • 3 0
 THIS! So many examples of how simple and humble collaborative engineering can overcome the weight of heavy investment and larger organizations. The Europeans are so good at this!
  • 3 22
flag thesharkman (Oct 22, 2019 at 21:57) (Below Threshold)
 You know what else they're good at? Avoiding the Holocaust. Oh wait, they suck at that.
  • 5 0
 Seems like every time I see something about an innovative road bike, it is followed with UCI banning it.
  • 6 2
 Lotus makes some amazing cars, can't wait to see what new they bring to the bike world
  • 8 8
 Amazingly unreliable cars..
  • 5 5
 Even if I had eleventy billion dollars or pounds, whatever you purchase a Lotus with, I still would never buy own. Same applies to their bikes.
  • 3 1
 @gnarnaimo: Ever owned one? Doubt it. Back in 2007 I had a Type 116 aka Opel Speedster / VX220 the front end of a Series 1 Elise the back end of a series 2 Elise and a 2.2 engine from GM, built on the same line as the Elise totally 100% reliable, the only think to talk about on the owners club was how far to go supercharging them, way more reliable than the Audi’s & BMWs I’ve had.
  • 2 1
 @StevieJB: Nope, worked on the for almost a decade though. Comparing anything to Audi and BMW with regards to reliability is laughable.
  • 6 1
 So the dentist jokes will now be upped to F1 drivers?

Cosmic!!☹️
  • 1 0
 Great to see this hook up. However, i dont think the tech 'trickle down' to mountain bikes. It should be all about mountain bikes!! Apart from constant refinement the mountain bike industry has been stagnant for years and desperately needs innovation. Time will tell.
  • 1 0
 I am sure Lotus know a thing or two about materials. Not sure about the new Hope frame, but the HB160 was probably heavier than my Orange Alpine. Would be good if Hope comes out with an Enduro 180mm F/ 160mm RS 29er that weights 28 pounds!
  • 3 3
 Sounds like a 20k Lotus e-bike with "F1 inspired design and suspension kinematics" and a spattering of Hope parts with marketing lines like "Obsessively English" or "British Handcrafted Engineering" and it will probably also have to run on as much hope as any Lotus and break down as much as any pom bomb
  • 1 0
 Despite the fact that Lotus/Hope will produce ruinously expensive parts, if and when they are truly innovative, their concepts will trickle down to become merely painfully expensive.
  • 3 1
 Up next: handlebars attached to your fork crown. Is the head tube now obsolete?
  • 3 0
 Will it be painted British Racing Green,with yellow striping?
It better!
  • 1 0
 @dhftw1231: I'm also ok with jps black and gold
  • 1 0
 E-Bikes road & mtb this is in my opinion why this partnership is happening there is just so much behind the E-Bike momentum.
  • 1 0
 Match made in heaven! I’m not a religious person but, I’m praying their athletes don’t die when it catastrophically fails! Good thing the HK has universal health care!
  • 2 0
 Lotus fork & shock on full Hope kitted frame?
  • 2 0
 Lotus Elise color scheme on a hope bike. Yes please
  • 3 0
 British green and yellow would look amazing!
  • 2 0
 Maybe they're going to bring real high-grade carbon to market.
  • 5 4
 Literally no one: .............

Hope & Lotus : After all the request we have been receiving. We are teaming up!
  • 1 0
 Why have they not reported on Hope getting permission for Shimano Microspline!
  • 1 0
 Hope-Lotus new electric shifting Powered by Lucas Electrics.
What could possibly go wrong?
  • 1 0
 Lotus Clinging on to hope.
  • 2 1
 This sounds amazing.. Lets see it!
  • 1 0
 No one remember the lotus Mtb?!
  • 5 4
 Wasn’t it terrible? Like most offerings from car companies. When has a car company made a decent mtb? I can’t remember one..
  • 17 0
 @tobiusmaximum: Honda
  • 6 0
 @tobiusmaximum: One word, Honda
  • 1 0
 @Swervsroundsquirrels: those bikes were so ahead of their time technology wise.
  • 1 0
 @tobiusmaximum: Rugged and dependable- Jeep mtbs at Wal-Mart
  • 1 0
 In a motorized bike era, LOTUS sound good.
  • 2 2
 I haven’t seen a Lotus made car in so long, they making a come back?
  • 2 0
 @drivereight: they never went away, I know they had issues importing to USA dues to the height of the front or something similar, headlights too low, pedestrian impacts too kneecapping or something. In the uk in summer months I probably see more than 1 Elise derivative a day on my commute, there are two on my road of 60 houses so quite a popular sports car in the UK sadly everyone these days wants SUV’s for the single occupancy drive to work.
  • 2 1
 Zzz Lotus is trash.
  • 4 6
 YAWN.







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