Frame Designs that Shouldn't Work but Do!

The night he did the 18'45" it was a typical Scottish June evening, not near warm and rained all the way out to the turn. He was on a massive gear, a 55x13 as I remember and my pal who was stood at the roundabout turn said he almost killed himself trying to get in front of a volvo estate. First guy I ever saw recognizing the benefits of a warm jacket as soon you stepped off the bike. Broke the British record and didn't even hang around for the prize: £100!

I think few people actually realised what he did for British cycling, I reckon he made the GB team sit up and think 'yeah we could break records too'. I met him years later on the London - Edinburgh train, he was still very enthusiastic about cycling and designing bikes long after he'd stopped competing internationally. Lovely guy.
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Indeed, he is a real legend in my mind in that he tried to tweak the bike all the way to make it as fast as possible. And he succeeded! UCI had to ban a few of his designs so that can only be a testament to his ingenuity, no less!

I think that’s the bike that was using the washing machine bearings at the bottom bracket?

Anyhow, I think it proves the point that super steep seat tube angles make for a super fast bike!
 
Obree was probably 10 years ahead of the technology/materials science. Eventually Mike Burrows helped him out with carbon construction but by then his athletic star was on the decline. It should be remembered that he absolutely humped Boardman (the best that British Cycling could provide) on several occasions and throughout it all remaining a humble, unselfish true sportsman.
 
Cool bike, seat post is longer than the forks!

There's a Mike Burrows MCR carbon monocoque frame on eBay at the moment:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/32614901...fLFMo2-TcC&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I dont think I've ever seen a geared lo pro with bullhorns and sti shifters, (just with bullhorns and not aero bars) I guess as the angles for the cables are too severe, but interested to know if anyone has found a workaround/bodge as I've a hankering for a lo pro, but would much prefer sti shifters (9 or 10 speed Campag era shifters) on the bullhorns than down tube shifters. I'd love to hear if anyone has managed this.
 
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Obree was probably 10 years ahead of the technology/materials science. Eventually Mike Burrows helped him out with carbon construction but by then his athletic star was on the decline. It should be remembered that he absolutely humped Boardman (the best that British Cycling could provide) on several occasions and throughout it all remaining a humble, unselfish true sportsman.
he could have and would have smashed Boardman considerably more if his face had fit, but he was an outsider so everything he did was made difficult. I watched "the flying scotsman" a few months back, a rather enjoyable diversion.
 
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