Sunday, December 14, 2025

hmmmm, designed for time trial racing, the Battaglin Piranha featured a large, fully solid and bulged front disc wheel, created to minimize aerodynamic drag.


During road testing, Roberto Visentini gained 3 seconds per kilometer compared to his regular time-trial bike. The plan was to use the Piranha in the prologue of the 1985 Giro d’Italia—until the UCI banned the bike, stating that it gave an “unfair advantage.” The result: the Piranha never raced.

1 comment:

  1. In the early days of bicycle racing, recumbent bikes were tried, both for regular races and setting records. Presumably they would be more efficient because of lower wind resistance, but the powers that be banned them in 1934. Full story here: https://bentupcyclingjournal.blogspot.com/p/history-of-recumbent-bicycle.html

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