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800 Series OCLV carbon

How we created 800 Series OCLV Carbon

Necessity is the mother of invention. Like a lot of other big tech developments, the 800 Series OCLV Carbon was created to solve a problem – we wanted to make our aero bikes lighter. Aero tube shapes take more material to make, so they are generally heavier than typical tubes. A new, lighter carbon lay-up would ensure that the added weight of aero tubes wouldn’t offset gains in speed.

A dialled process

There are lots of carbon bikes out there, but not all carbon bikes are created equal. Carbon fibre is an incredible yet complicated material to build things from. To do so successfully takes a lot of expertise – something we’ve been cultivating for over 25 years through our OCLV Carbon process.

We’ve learned that the real magic comes in knowing what types of fibres to use, and where to use them. It’s a process our engineers compare to tuning a piano. It’s not just about materials the piano’s made from or having the loudest piano. It’s about creating something that’s more than the sum of its parts – a beautiful sound. Getting a piano to sound stunning (or building a bike that’s a joy to ride) is both a science and an art form.

It’s all about the lay-up

800 Series OCLV Carbon consists of several different high-end carbon fibres, and the quality of a frame comes from getting the right fibres in the right place. This layup is the secret sauce—it's what creates the perfect harmony of stiffness, strength, light weight, and performance.

Testing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…

With the help of advanced computer modelling, we developed over 50 lay-ups to find the new 800 Series OCLV. Each prototype had different kinds of carbon placed in different areas depending on the stressors occurring at each part of the frame, and on the qualities we wanted the new frame to have.

We meticulously tested and quantified each laminate’s structural integrity, weight, and ride quality, which was crucial in helping us determine exactly why we liked the performance of one laminate over another. Once we narrowed it down to just a few lay-ups, we had Lidl-Trek racers test ride the bikes and tell us which frame they liked the best.

Our best carbon ever

It took more than two years of development, but the 800 Series OCLV is the lightest and highest-performing carbon lay-up we’ve ever created. It’s stronger than our previous laminates, yet just as stiff. The advent of 800 Series OCLV marks the start of a new era for our highest-end aero bikes – never again will we have to sacrifice weight for speed.