Lotus Cycling

[Leonard]

RIP Mike Burrows 😪 #legend
Will always be thankful for the good memories and future memories being made on my #GiantTCR

 

[TomE]

It was always a pleasure to chat with him about bikes and innovation and being a "disruptive thinker". So many contributions to modern bike design and manufacture, as well as the ideas behind the Lotus Type 108. Often not recognised for his many achievements.

Many of us will continue to use, preserve and publicise his iconic bikes. This is Mike riding the prototype Monocoque Mk 1a, the predecessor of the Lotus Type 108. I'm the custodian of this unique and important bike.

RIP Mike 🚴‍♀️

 

[Leonard]

It was always a pleasure to chat with him about bikes and innovation and being a "disruptive thinker". So many contributions to modern bike design and manufacture, as well as the ideas behind the Lotus Type 108. Often not recognised for his many achievements.

Many of us will continue to use, preserve and publicise his iconic bikes. This is Mike riding the prototype Monocoque Mk 1a, the predecessor of the Lotus Type 108. I'm the custodian of this unique and important bike.

View attachment 8135

RIP Mike 🚴‍♀️

That is some memento to remember him by 😍🥰

 

[TomE]

And the Mk 1a today

Fixed gear, single-sided fork, carbon fibre monocoque frame, hub brake, internal cabling, unequal (lo pro) wheel sizes, high saddle/low bars to enable a low rider position. Everything is about aerodynamics. And all this in the mid 1980s before anyone else.

 

[Leonard]

And the Mk 1a today

View attachment 8139

Fixed gear, single-sided fork, carbon fibre monocoque frame, hub brake, internal cabling, unequal (lo pro) wheel sizes, high saddle/low bars to enable a low rider position. Everything is about aerodynamics. And all this in the mid 1980s before anyone else.

Wow 👌 now that is truly special. You are so lucky to have that piece of cycling history. How did you come by it if you don't mind me asking?
Part of the reason I always had a soft spot for Lotus was because I felt they shared Mike Burrows 'outside of the box' creative design thinking.
I don't want to say it but I think that was why I was expecting a little more from the Emira. It just all seems a little bit too safe 😕

 

[TomE]

The bike used to belong to Richard Ballantine, author of the renowned "Richard's Bicycle Book", cycling journalist and recumbent enthusiast. He and Mike were great friends - Mike credited Richard with first getting Mike interested in bikes.

After Richard's death, his family decided to sell several of his bikes and were keen to ensure this one went to a good home. I heard it was up for sale and was keen to add it to my collection, as it's the predecessor of the Type 108 and in effect the grandfather of my Sport 110. I had conversations with Richard's son about my involvement with Lotus, the restoration of my 110 and my intentions for looking after the Monocoque. The Ballantine family had a lot of interest in the sale but decided to let me buy it, also with Mike's blessing.

I agree Mike and Lotus shared a passion for innovation and creativity. Colin Chapman would often try to use an element of a car for more than one purpose, famously being the first to use the engine of an F1 car as part of the load-bearing structure. Mike had a similar talent for elegant problem solving. It was such a shame that he and Lotus fell out after the Type 108 project and were never fully reconciled.

We had Mike along to the Lotus 70th Anniversary event at Hethel as guest of the Lotus 110 Club, the first time he had been on site in many years. We introduced him to the CEO of Geely, who turned out to be a keen triathlete, and we had hopes of a reconciliation and perhaps another Burrows-Lotus bike project. Instead Lotus partnered with Hope for the Olympic track bike for Tokyo.

Many members of the Type 108 team took part in a GCN+ documentary last year about the history of the 108, its origins with the Monocoque and forwards via the 110 to the Hope-Lotus HB.T. Mike met again with Chris Boardman and everyone at Lotus, and I think there was recognition from most people that time had moved on and the achievements of 1992 should be re-appreciated. I played a small part in the filming and provided the Monocoque and my Sport 110 to be included.

 

[Leonard]

The bike used to belong to Richard Ballantine, author of the renowned "Richard's Bicycle Book", cycling journalist and recumbent enthusiast. He and Mike were great friends - Mike credited Richard with first getting Mike interested in bikes.

After Richard's death, his family decided to sell several of his bikes and were keen to ensure this one went to a good home. I heard it was up for sale and was keen to add it to my collection, as it's the predecessor of the Type 108 and in effect the grandfather of my Sport 110. I had conversations with Richard's son about my involvement with Lotus, the restoration of my 110 and my intentions for looking after the Monocoque. The Ballantine family had a lot of interest in the sale but decided to let me buy it, also with Mike's blessing.

I agree Mike and Lotus shared a passion for innovation and creativity. Colin Chapman would often try to use an element of a car for more than one purpose, famously being the first to use the engine of an F1 car as part of the load-bearing structure. Mike had a similar talent for elegant problem solving. It was such a shame that he and Lotus fell out after the Type 108 project and were never fully reconciled.

We had Mike along to the Lotus 70th Anniversary event at Hethel as guest of the Lotus 110 Club, the first time he had been on site in many years. We introduced him to the CEO of Geely, who turned out to be a keen triathlete, and we had hopes of a reconciliation and perhaps another Burrows-Lotus bike project. Instead Lotus partnered with Hope for the Olympic track bike for Tokyo.

Many members of the Type 108 team took part in a GCN+ documentary last year about the history of the 108, its origins with the Monocoque and forwards via the 110 to the Hope-Lotus HB.T. Mike met again with Chris Boardman and everyone at Lotus, and I think there was recognition from most people that time had moved on and the achievements of 1992 should be re-appreciated. I played a small part in the filming and provided the Monocoque and my Sport 110 to be included.

Thanks for that Tom.
Makes me all warm and fuzzy and proud to be British 😁🇬🇧
If I'm not getting the Lotus I'm getting a Morgan 😅
These type of special relationships are something that we are losing as 'cottage industry' slowly gets amalgamated or made obsolete by large conglomerates. I work in the Outdoor Industry and the very close personal ties that really made it what it was has been significantly lost over the past 20 years.
Fortunately the UK has a really entrepreneurial spirit so its still there bubbling away in the background.
Anyway thank you for telling the story and amazing to have those close personal ties with Mike. I'm really pleased (as I am sure he was) that bikes of such epic historical importance are being looked after by a suitably caring custodian.