Tech News – May 30, 2009 Got tech? Send press releases, news, and tech questions to the Cyclingnews tech desk. First look: Graeme Obree's amazing bicycle By Jeff Jones Graeme Obree's new bike. Photo ©: Jeff Jones Graeme Obree is as well known for his hour record breaking exploits as he is for the hand-built machines that he set them on. The 43-year-old Scot recently announced that he's going to attempt the hour record again - and this time it will be on a UCI-approved 'standard' track bike. Drop handlebars, spoked wheels, steel frame, everything that will make the UCI officials in Aigle happy. But this is Obree we're talking about. He is not a conventional man. And by the looks of the machine we spotted at BikeRadar Live this afternoon, he seems to have hand-crafted every component. From the Reynolds 653 steel frame to the narrow, semi-sculpted seatpost topped by a purple velvet saddle to the aluminum time trial handlebars that he whittled down over the course of three months while watching TV, to the massive drilled out 67 tooth chainring to the 15-year-old Specialized mountain bike pedals to just about everything else. Some parts will be swapped for the eventual hour record attempt, of course, but this will do perfectly well for a time trial. In fact, when you look at it closely, you can see it's an amazing machine - it's more retro than retro, and so much time has gone into building it. It's beautiful to behold and hard to get your head around the fact that it is designed to go very fast. And you can be sure it will with Obree astride it as he attempts to set the fastest lap in the Procycling Hot Laps. The man himself looks very fit and you can see it in his eyes that he's ready for the challenge ahead. Photography For a thumbnail gallery of these images, click here Images by Jeff Jones Campagnolo Avanti brakes provide the stopping power for Obree's bike. You can't buy this aero bar setup. Obree built it himself from a single block of aluminum. The rear derailleur cable approaches the derailleur from the top tube. The rear brake is tucked in behind the bottom bracket. A light but aero seatpost sculpted from aluminum. Graeme Obree himself. Graeme Obree's new bike. That's a big chainring! Obree likes massive gear ratios. These aero bars are completely custom. They took Obree three months to whittle down from a solid piece of aluminium. Obree removed excess weight from the 15-year-old Specialized pedals. The Specialized pedals were once double-sided MTB pedals. Now they have been shaved down to save weight. The hand-crafted seatpost is topped by a purple velvety saddle. This is aero.