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Gallery: Eddy Merckx partners with Lexus to create new time trial bike

By BikeRadar

published 4 June 2012

ETT bike to use automotive technology

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Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Topsport Vlaanderen's Jelle Wallays testing the ETT at the Tour of Belgium in late May(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Topsport Vlaanderen's Jelle Wallays testing the ETT at the Tour of Belgium in late May(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Smoke is introduced to track air flow(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

People standing inside the tunnel give scale to the size of the facility(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

People standing inside the tunnel give scale to the size of the facility(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

Eddy Merckx Cycles ETT testing inside a Lexus wind tunnel(Image credit: Eddy Merckx Cycles)

This article first appeared on Bikeradar

Eddy Merckx Cycles recently went to a wind tunnel belonging to TMG, the Cologne-based motorsport division of Toyota. In addition to using the resources of the major automotive company, Edddy Merckx Cycles could also incorporate some of the technology used in cars in their bikes.

Lexus is no stranger to carbon fiber construction. Lexus built the chassis and body of it LFA supercar largely with Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP). The LFA's 4.8-litre engine delivers 560 horsepower, enough to hit 325kph (202mph).

Outside of the TMG wind tunnel testing, Eddy Merckx has put the ETT to test on the road with its sponsored teams Topsport Vlaanderen-Mercator and Wallonie-Bruxelles-Crédit Agricole.

No specific details on the bike have yet been revealed. But the project is just getting started.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Lexus," said Kurt Moons, CEO of Eddy Merckx Cycles. "I’m sure that this is a huge opportunity for us to learn from their expertise in materials science and aerodynamics."

The staff at Lexus Europe is fired up by the project, too. “We are all excited by the prospect of working with Eddy Merckx Cycles," said Jozef Vandecruys, General Manager Marketing Communications and Network Development for Lexus Europe. "It’s a famous name with a history that speaks to our imagination.”