1981 Textima Pursuit Prototype

This track bike was made in 1981 and is one of two known time trial prototypes. In the 1980s, engineers and technicians did not have the opportunity to test new frame geometries using CFD simulation. Consequently, prototypes had to be made for new ideas and tests in order to investigate the effects of modifications to the frame geometry on the aerodynamics. The basic idea of a frame construction with the mounting of the handlebars on the fork head goes back to the Swiss company ASSOS, which produced this construction for the Swiss national team. The engineers of the national team took up this concept and developed it. In addition to a sloping top tube and a shortened head tube, the air resistance of rider and machine is reduced. As an additional variant, the use of a fork with a handlebar clamp on the fork head in combination with a 24" front wheel was also examined. This forces the rider into an aerodynamic, even more effective seating position and when riding in a team, the distance between the riders can be reduced to make better use of the slipstream. What is striking about this design is the use of a standard Campagnolo headset, as integrated headsets were already developed and manufactured at the end of the 1970s. In this series of tests, the use of 24" front wheels with normal shaft stems may also have been investigated, which made a classic headset necessary. Only a handful of these frames were probably made for testing. However, the results of the corresponding tests for this test series were negative, which is why this model did not make the leap to series production.