The design of the Type 136 was drawn by Lotus chief aerodynamicist Richard Hill and borrows from the work equipment of the British track team. Simulations in a virtual wind tunnel served as an aid. A characteristic feature is the broadly flared rear end with seat struts with a wing profile for aerodynamic reasons. The V-shaped cockpit is reminiscent of the aerodynamically fast Cervélo S5 road bike. There is a limited edition of 136 bikes to start with, which are equipped with a Campagnolo Super Record Wireless groupset. Variants with SRAM Red and SRAM Force, which are slightly cheaper, are to follow later.
Many years of expertise in cycling
The main business of the company, which was founded in 1948, is clearly motorsport. However, Lotus has been involved in track and road cycling since the 1990s, particularly with its aerodynamic expertise. The Lotus Type 108, on which Chris Boardman caused a furore at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, is legendary. With the Type 110, a time trial bike for the road with a similar frame shape, Boardman still holds the record for the fastest Tour de France stage of all time: He completed the 7.2 kilometre prologue of the 1994 edition in Lille at an average speed of 55.152 kilometres per hour.
The Lotus brand is currently best known among cycling fans for its involvement with the British national track team. Together with the equally British tuning component manufacturer Hope, a spectacular track bike was developed in 2019 for the Olympic Games in Tokyo, which attracted attention with completely new design approaches. The aforementioned seat stays, which - in a somewhat reduced form - are also intended to make the Type 136 fast, are particularly unique. Just this summer, the British company presented a second generation, which is even more radical with a split seat post.
Lightest motor in the industry
As a unique selling point, the Type 136 is said to have the lightest electric drive in the industry, the "Watt Pro Assist" from the relatively unknown manufacturer HPS (High Performance Systems) based in Monaco. The drive is said to be derived from the Mars Lander Project and weighs just 1.2 kilograms - including the battery. The Lotus should therefore have a total weight of 9.8 kilograms; HPS itself offers e-bikes that it claims weigh less than 9 kilograms. The components are produced entirely in Europe, primarily in Germany and Switzerland. The performance data of the HPS drive is below average: the maximum power output is said to be 200 watts, whereas 250 watts is standard. The maximum torque is only 20 Newton metres, whereas typical e-road bike drives currently deliver more than double that. The battery also has a comparatively low capacity of 193 watt hours. According to the drive manufacturer, this means that the range in the highest support level should be around one hour of travelling time. The drive is suspended above 25 km/h due to EU legislation. HPS offers a significantly smaller battery with only 85 watt hours as an option, which can be carried in the luggage compartment of most airlines without prior notification.
Fully-fledged racing bike with or without E
The Type 136 is therefore intended to be a racing bike that can be used as a fully-fledged piece of sports equipment both with and without a motor. Without the battery, the bike should weigh less than eight kilograms and be a competitive aero racing bike. With a battery, it is one of the lightest e-bikes in the world.
The limited launch edition of the Type 136 can be pre-ordered immediately, with a price tag of a whopping 25,000 euros. If that's too expensive for you, you'll have to be patient. Two further equipment variants with SRAM Red and SRAM Force are set to follow in summer 2024. They will cost 19,950 and 17,950 euros respectively.
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Jens Klötzer
Editor
