Mike Burrows (17 April 1943 – 15 August 2022) was a British bicycle designer from

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the Episcopal see, See of ...

, England. Burrow is best known for his collaborative work with the design of the track carbon-fibre

Lotus 108 The Lotus Type 108 (originally known as LotusSport Pursuit Bicycle) is an Olympic individual pursuit bicycle. Its frame is an advanced aerofoil cross-section using a carbon composite monocoque. Development The use of monocoque frames for bik ...

time trial bicycle A time trial bicycle is a racing bicycle designed for use in an individual race against the clock. Compared to a road bike, a time trial bike is more aerodynamic, has a shorter wheelbase, and puts the rider closer to the front of the bicycle. I ...

manufactured by Lotus for Chris Boardman, when he won the 1992 Olympic 4000m pursuit in

Barcelona Barcelona ( , , ) is a city on the coast of northeastern Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.6 million within c ...

. He also attempted to copy the famous "Old Faithful" bike used by Graeme Obree, to be used as a spare in an attempt on the world hour record. However Obree did not like the bike and did not use in any record attempt. Burrows had long been involved in the

recumbent bicycle A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by b ...

/tricycle world, having designed the Speedy or Windcheetah trike and more recently the Ratcatcher, Ratracer and Ratracer B. He has collaborated on projects with Richard Ballantine. Burrow was also involved in

utility cycling Utility cycling encompasses any cycling done simply as a means of transport rather than as a sport or leisure activity. It is the original and most common type of cycling in the world. Cycling mobility is one of the various types of private ...

and has designed a folding cycle (the Giant Halfway), an especially thin machine (the 2D) that takes up little space in a hallway, the 8-Freight

cargo bike A cargo bike (also known as a box bike, carrier cycle, freight bicycle, cycletruck, or freight tricycle) is a human powered vehicle designed and constructed specifically for transporting loads. Cargo bike designs include a cargo area consisting o ...

in use with cycle courier companies such as Outspoken Delivery, and makes customised screen and PA carrying freight bikes with extendable "batwings" for AV2 Hire. In the 1990s, Burrows worked for Giant Bicycles and designed the compact frame TCR road bike among others, the bike design was truly revolutionary, to minimise bike manufacturing cost. Burrows' designs often feature cantilever suspended wheels. He supplied a bike fitted with a front monoblade to television science presenter

Adam Hart-Davis Adam John Hart-Davis (born 4 July 1943) is an English scientist, author, photographer, historian and broadcaster. He presented the BBC television series '' Local Heroes'' and ''What the Romans Did for Us'', the latter spawning several spin-off ...

, which featured in some of Hart-Davis' programmes. Hart-Davis also owned a Speedy, finished in pink and yellow. Burrows was involved with the design of a recumbent that could break the speed record for a human-powered vehicle (HPV). The design Aim 93 attempted to break the record at the International HPV Association's world championships at Battle Mountain. Burrows died from cancer on 15 August 2022, at the age of 79.

Bibliography

* ''Bicycle Design: Towards the Perfect Machine'' (). * ''From Bicycle to Superbike'' ().

References

External links

Velovision 8-Freight review

Velovision Ratcatcher review

Official 8 Freight website

8 Freight users

8Freight at LeftFieldBikes

Next stop Nevada: British cycle team aim at 90 mph record
{{DEFAULTSORT:Burrows, Mike 1943 births 2022 deaths British cycle designers English male cyclists Sportspeople from Norwich