CQ27_FINAL_SPREADS (1)

Although a lot of the teams are
quite secretive with their data
and testing, there was some good
feedback saying that they were
quicker than a lot of other bars
they’ve tested.
wheel axle for the Danish team,
which they used in the team
pursuit where they got silver,
and then they used it in the
Madison too. You can’t see
it, it’s an axle, so it wasn’t so
obvious.”
“It exceeded expectations. I
was happy just to have the bars
there. To then win the medals
too . . . What was interesting
was that the components were
ridden by the riders who got the
medals, the riders who were top
of the field.”
Designing a future
The Bunch Bar bingo game
didn’t stop at the Olympics. A
quick glance at any top tier track
meeting will reveal a pair here,
there and everywhere from the
UCI Track Champions League to
the Ghent 6. Not that Catchpole
is resting on his laurels. Having
left his job to concentrate
full time on his business, his
focus now is on continual
improvement of the existing
products while, as a natural
designer, he’s always dreaming
up a few new concepts too.
“I’ve been working with
retailers, learning what is
required to best present the
products on the shop floor,
moving away from the box-anda-couple-of-stickers
method
to focus more on the retail
packaging, like hang tags, for
example.”
“In terms of product
development, I’ve also been
working with New Motion Labs,
a British start-up that have
revolutionized the sprocket and
chainring tooth profiles. I’m
working on a sprint bar now too,
using a similar process to the
Bunch Bar.”
“It’s going back to the ladder
system. This was always
the goal, to work on the
components, like the chainrings,
sprockets, handlebars and
various bits and pieces, and then
up to a frameset. The frameset
is the heart of a bike, so the
goal is to have a Velobike bike,
and to be one of the leaders
within the track cycling industry.
That’s the goal.”
“This frame will be modular, so
it is adaptable to the various
disciplines. Initially it was to be
for Paris, working with Cycling
New Zealand on the project,
but the timeline is looking thin
now considering the testing and
production requirements. But
there’s going to be no holding
back in the R&D with this. Think
Hope/Lotus ingenuity.”
“I haven’t grown up as a cyclist
so I’m not traditional, and I
suppose that’s one of the areas
from an innovation perspective
Sam Bennett
& Patrick Lefevere.
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