Norfolk's Lotus bike designer Mike Burrows dies

[Bravo73]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-62560025.amp

A bike designer who helped Great Britain win gold at the 1992 Olympics has died.

Mike Burrows, from Thorpe St Andrew, Norfolk, was best known for designing what became the Lotus Type 108 bike, ridden by Chris Boardman at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

The married father-of-one died on Monday, aged 79.

Boardman, who won the 4,000m individual pursuit in 1992, described Mr Burrows as the "godfather" of his craft.

He tweeted: "Very sad to hear Mike Burrows, the designer of the Lotus bike, passed away today. 

"He was the godfather of modern bicycle design and my life would not have been the same without his influence."

IMAGE SOURCE, CONTRIBUTED

 

Image caption, 

Chris Boardman, who won the 4,000m individual pursuit in Barcelona in 1992, described Mr Burrows (pictured) as the "godfather" of his craft

IMAGE SOURCE, LOTUS CARS

 

Image caption, 

Boardman won gold at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona on the Lotus Type 108 bike

Boardman's success in Spain was the first British medal in cycling for more than 70 years.

• Cycle revolution: The most beautiful British bike designs

Mr Burrows came up with the original monocoque design for Boardman's winning bike, and Lotus said it remained an "icon" three decades on and was "arguably one of the most recognisable two-wheelers ever made".

Its design and shape incorporated a single rear stay, a fork with just one blade and an aerofoiled profile frame.

It also led to the Lotus 110, which Boardman rode to win on the first day of the Tour de France in Lille in 1994.

IMAGE SOURCE, LOTUS CARS

 

Image caption, 

Lotus said the 108 bike was "arguably one of the most recognisable two-wheelers ever made"

Lotus Cars, which is based at Hethel near Norwich, said: "Everyone at Lotus is saddened to hear of the death of Mike Burrows, the Norfolk-based bike designer best known for his pioneering work on what became the Lotus Type 108.

"To this day it remains the most recognisable bike ever built, an iconic design which rewrote the rule book on what was possible on two wheels."

[TomE]

Very sad news.  Mike was a legend, a true innovator and his numerous contributions to bike design and manufacture were often not given the credit he deserved.

It was great to have him at Hethel for the 70th Anniversary as guest of the Lotus Sport 110 Owners Club.  He was still coming up with new innovations even in the final weeks of his battle with cancer.

This is Mike riding the Monocoque Mk 1a in 1985, one of the predecessors of the Type 108.  I have the bike now, alongside my 110, so we can continue to tell the story of these amazing bikes and their inventor.