Mike Burrows explains the principle behind the bike Real G2 27"

Chris Boardman and the superbike

Mike Burrows is the Norfolk man behind the superbike that helped cyclist Chris Boardman ride to an Olympic gold medal in 1992 in Barcelona.

Mike, an engineer and cycling enthusiast, wanted to make a bike that was more aerodynamic.

Mike Burrows

"The thing that slows a cyclist down is having to pass through air, as they discovered with aeroplanes many years ago," he said.

The bike used a one-piece carbon fibre frame, with wheels on one side only, reducing the frame size and giving an aerodynamic shape.

This kind of single-body design is known as a monocoque. The superbike was developed with the Norfolk firm Lotus Engineering.

The monocoque bike is now illegal for racing and Mike is concentrating on the subject that first sparked his interest - recumbent bike designs.

Click here for Mike's thoughts on
Designers, Engineers and Inventors

See recumbent bikes in action

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external Internet links