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superbike

The AIS/RMIT Olympic Superbike is an example of innovation in design and engineering. The opportunity to stretch the limits of bicycle design came in 1996, when the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) changed the rules governing bicycle design to less restrictive specifications. Through some unusual circumstances a project team was drawn from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). The resulting bike, the Superbike, allowed many top athletes to break world records.

Although the UCI has once again changed its technical rules, the Superbike made significant advances in bicycle design. Apart from the sporting success achieved by riders of the bike, the project won:

  • 1995 Award for Excellence from the Institution of Engineers, Australia
  • 1995 Velo News Award for 'Best Technical Development for 1995 in Road or Track'
  • two Innovation Awards.

Department of Education and Training
Case studies developed by the Professional Support and Curriculum Directorate and supported by the Multicultural Programs Unit of the NSW Department of Education and Training in partnership with the Powerhouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum