Here’s where we left off last week: wind-tunnel testing with the Toyota Prius Projects concept bike. In this day and age, technology has taken a rather strong footing in cycling. Both in the amateur and pro market, science is being applied to make people and their bikes more efficient. Efficiency is no stranger to the Prius, and I would argue that it’s one of the main concepts Parlee grasped during the design of the Toyota Prius Project concept bike. It wasn’t until after the wind-tunnel testing that Bob Parlee could see the areas on the bike that needed revisions, and that’s just part of the design process.

Check out more from Week 8 of the Toyota Prius Projects Concept Bike coverage below!

All the time spent putting the concept bike together was not in vain. Building a prototype for the first time teaches you about how component integration can be more efficient. The first time the team at Parlee built up the first proto, they knew changes would be needed in order to accept the apparatus that Deeplocal is implementing.

Since all we’ve shown you over the weeks have been cropped or detail photos, this week I figured I’d let the cat out of the bag and display the first prototype concept bike. The formal design of the bike will remain the same, albeit with a few more aerodynamic revisions to be made. Deeplocal and Parlee are discussing how to revise the bike to accept the technology that’s being developed in Pittsburgh, and Bob is refining the cockpit region. All in all, the concept bike is shaping up to be one sexy road bike.

Just like in automotive design, the first prototype often presents a dialogue that later informs decisions and, eventually, the final product. Just as the first week’s coverage showed design sketches that later informed the prototype, this prototype will inform the final concept bike.

Until then you’ll have to wait and see what we’ve got in store for next week!

Last but not least, I’d like to thank the Toyota Prius Projects for sponsoring these posts and the opportunity to exclusively cover this project.