Guy Martin’s custom Rourke land speed bikeOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Guy Martin and the Rourke achieved a record breaking top speed of 112.94mph while travelling in the slipstream of a modified racing truckOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The bike features a large extension in front of the head tube. This acted as a buffer to the panel Guy was slipstreaming behind the truckOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Hope M4 Evo front disc brake and floating rotorOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The bar at the front of the bike was also used to tow the bike up to a speed, something that is necessary because of the incredibly high gear ratios involvedOli Woodman/Future Publishing
This Shimano Deore mechanical brake lever has been repurposed to work as a release for the tow connection at the front of the bikeOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The tow release cable is in the form of a repurposed rear brake leverOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Hope Tech Evo lever for the M4 Evo front disc brakeOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Guy’s name sits proudly next to the wrap-over seatstay design – a signature feature of many Brian Rourke framesOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The second of Hope’s two custom 60-tooth chainrings used on this bike – notice that power is transferred to the left side of the bike from the rightOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Hope also provided the wheel build for the bikeOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Fi’zi:k Gobi XM saddle and Hope seatpost comboOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Two bottom brackets, two chainrings and one fixed hubOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Continental’s balloon-like 50mm Top Contact tyres were usedOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The tyres still have their sprues from the manufacturing process!Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
The final drive figures for the gearing mean that the rear wheel would turn 15 times for every complete revolution of the one-off Hope cranksOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The Rourke logo sits below his signature wrap-over seatstaysOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Hope have a good relationship with Guy and were responsible for nearly all of the components on the buildOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The record breaking machine is still covered in sand – that’s because Guy asked for it not to be cleanedOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Both the crankset and chainrings are custom parts produced by HopeOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The driveside chainstay featurings a cutout to allow for the correct chainlineOli Woodman/Future Publishing
It’s funny to think that this machine has been used at speeds higher than most motorcycles will ever reachOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The eccentric bottom bracket shell can be used to fine-tune chain tension for one of the sets of gearsOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The tow-release system is simple if not prettyOli Woodman/Future Publishing
We don’t have exact figures but the Rourke’s head angle looks as slack as we’d expect it to be considering the speeds involved!Oli Woodman/Future Publishing
The 26in Mavic EN521 rims wear 50mm Continental Top Contact rubberOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The Hope Pro 2 Evo front hub is laced to a 26in Mavic EN521 rimOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The left-hand drive fixed hub is a one offOli Woodman/Future Publishing
The chainstay, seatstay and additional tube all connect neatly at the horizontal rear drop-outsOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Cable ties and an old inner tube can solve most problems. FactOli Woodman/Future Publishing
Exhibited among products from Hope Technology at this year’s Core Bike Show was this record-breaking land speed bike. Still dirty from its record-breaking venture on the sands of Pendine, this is officially the fastest bike in Britain. We take a closer look at Guy Martin’s custom Rourke.
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For those who aren’t already familiar with this machine, this was the bike that Isle of Man TT racer Guy Martin pedalled to 112.94mph while travelling in the slipstream of a 1,000hp racing truck, breaking the British record for outright speed on a bicycle in the process.
The frame is the work of UK-based custom builder Jason Rourke of Rourke Handbuilt Cycles, constructed from Reynolds 853 tubing it features a unique fixed, twin-chain drivetrain complete with two custom 60-tooth chainrings.
The succesful record attempt took place at Pendine Sands, South Wales, and was one of several that Guy attempted to break during his Speed television series that recently aired on Channel 4. Take a flick through our image gallery for more details on this record-breaking rig.
Spec list:
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Frame: Custom Rourke Reynolds 853
Fork: Rourke custom disc
Headset: Hope
Stem: Hope XC
Handlebars: Easton flat alloy
Grips: Funn
Front brake: Hope M4 Evo front disc brake and floating rotor
Rear brake: None
Brake levers: Hope Tech Evo / Shimano Deore Mechanical
Chain: 2x SRAM
Crankset: Hope custom with 2x 60T chainrings
Bottom bracket: Hope X2
Wheelset: Mavic EN521 rims on Hope Pro 2 Evo / Hope custom left hand drive fixed rear hub
Now officially part of the furniture, Oli enjoys bicycles of all sorts and has a keen eye for technical detail. An unhealthy interest in older motor vehicles keeps him poor but happy
