Caterham Develops Spaceframe Built with Bicycle Tire Technology

Caterham Cars Ltd. has developed a new spaceframe using butted-tubing technology derived from bicycle tires that is 10% lighter than that of its current Seven roadster but has the same torsional rigidity.

The boutique sports car manufacturer partnered with bicycle tube-maker Reynolds Technology and software specialist Simpact Engineering on the project, which was partially funded by the British government. All three companies are based in the U.K.

Reynolds patented the process for making butted tubes, which are thicker at the ends than in the center, in 1897. The approach allows designers to optimize material usage, providing both strength and weight advantages, according to the partners.

For the prototype Seven chassis, engineers were able to reduce the mass of some parts as much as 50% by using a blend of mild and high-strength steels and more exotic alloys. Simpact’s computer-aided-engineering tools were used to design, analyze and test the structure.

Caterham, which produces vehicles based on Lotus platforms, says the design would add $1,400 to $2,900 to the cost of the Seven. The company hopes to launch a production car that uses the technology next year. It estimates that 20% of buyers would pay such a premium for the added performance of the lightweight design.