When one thinks of Lotus in the cycling world either the image of Chris Boardman aboard a now very much UCI illegal Type 108 bike arises, or either the original mad Lotus x Hope HB.T from the Tokyo Olympics, or the later, even madder Team GB track bike for Paris 2024. While a modified version of the HB.T, the HB.TT, was used by Ethan Vernon on the road in the U23 time trial world championships, Lotus has pretty staunchly been a track-only endeavour.
Now, skipping straight over 'standard' road bikes, Lotus has branched out on its own and launched limited run lightweight electric bike, dubbed the Type 136, with a price tag set at £20,000 / €25,000.
Simplify, then add lightness
It's no surprise to see something bearing the Lotus badge obsessing over a lower weight. Lotus founder, Colin Chapman, had a philosophy of "simplify, then add lightness", and while e-bikes aren't always known for being feathery the Type 136 weighs in at a very respectable 9.8kg.
This is primarily thanks to its use of the lightest motor from High Performance System (HPS). Press material seems to suggest that this is the lightest motor on the market but we are yet to substantiate this claim. In any case, the motor, derived from that of the Mars Lander Project (though not necessarily the lander itself it must be said) is an integrated bottom bracket design clocking in at just 300g. Claims aside, that is pretty light.
Looking at the Type 136 it's hard to work out where the battery has been placed, until you realise the water bottle on the seat tube is the battery, and can be removed with the push of a button for charging.
Track bike inspiration?
While the press material we have received is a little thin on the ground in terms of concrete claims to performance, with no mention of watts, range, or anything besides the weight, it's clear to see the Type 136 has been developed from the blueprints of the Hope track bike on which it collaborated. The wide seat seat stays are the most clear shared feature, and while the fork legs too are wide set, they are far more reminiscent of the forks seen on the new BMC Teammachine R.
Up front an integrated bar-stem combination with a positive rise and Y shape'stem' is again something we've seen on road bikes rather than their track counterparts. The Cervelo S5 and the Bianchi Oltre to name but two are obvious examples.
Team Type 136 is limited to an initial run of (you guessed it) 136 bikes. At £20k a pop they are certainly far from accessible, and have the feel of a proof-of-concept product rather than a serious foray into the market.
That being said, the Type 136 will be on show at Rouleur Live, and Cyclingnews will be in attendance, so stay tuned for further details from the show floor.
