2014 Season
Details
2014 was a great year for the Olin HPV team. The team built its first ever tricycle, Cheryl and placed 3rd at competition. Cheryl was comfortable, fun and fast to ride and all team members rode this vehicle for the first time in several years.
This year, the team was the largest it has ever been with 30 active and contributing team members. Furthermore, 2014 marked the debut of the team's first explorations into building a truly all-purpose utility vehicle.
More information about the team's time at competition is on our blog. Competition Vehicle - Cheryl
Download our 2014 Design Report
Frame Carbon fiber monocoque with 4130 Chromoly Steel sub-frames Drivetrain 7-Speed Rear-Wheel Drive Wheels 16" Front (2x), 20" Rear Fairing Carbon fiber made
2013 Season
The 2013 season was a great one for the team which placed 8th at the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge and placed in the design innovation event, design event and womens' sprint event.
This year, the team built its lightest and most aerodynamic vehicle ever. Unfortunately, the team's vehicle, The Plaid Panther suffered from a mechanical failure at competition and was unable to finish the endurance race.
More information about the team's competition performance is on our blog.
2012 Season
Details
The team performed very well at the ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, winning third place overall and winning the Knovel award for design innovation. Furthermore, our finished bike had no major breakdowns at the competition, allowing us to perform quite strong.
In addition to placing well at the competition, the team built our highest quality vehicle ever this year. We took a big leap in building a structural monocoque carbon fiber shell, which made our vehicle stronger and safer than ever before. We also improved aerodynamics and accessibility with innovative rider variation compensation and slow speed stability systems.
Competition Vehicle - SeabagelDownload our 2012 Design Report
Frame Carbon fiber monocoque with 4130 Chromoly Steel sub-frames Drivetrain 7-Speed Front-Wheel Drive Wheels 16" Front, 20"
2011 Season
Details
Olin College had it's best showing yet at the 2011 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge by sweeping Speed Class. That includes first place finishes in the Design Report, Men's and Women's Sprint, and Endrance Race leading to first place overall in the Speed Class!
Competition Vehicle - ShadowfaxShadowfax was our competition vehicle for 2011. The overall vehicle is a very traditional recumbent, see the table below for more information. The fairing for Shadowfax is made of two layers of carbon-fiber, which was formed in two halves using a male mold made from foam. You can find out more about our vehicle and fabrication techniques by downloading our full design report.
Download our 2011 Design Report
Frame 4130 Chromoly Steel Drivetrain 8-Speed Rear-Wheel Drive;
2010 Season
Details
Olin College had it's best showing to date at the 2010 ASME Human Powered Vehicle Challenge, placing second in the Speed Class. The team placed 2nd in the design report, 5th in the women's drag race, 3rd in the mens drag race, and 4th in the endurance race.
Competition Vehicle - BucephalusDownload our 2010 Design Report
Frame 4130 Chromoly Steel Drivetrain 7-Speed Front-Wheel Drive Wheels 16" Front, 20" Rear Seat Wood; Fixed base with 12" of lateral adjustment and four angle positions. Fairing Fiberglass; Many layers of fiberglass lay-up on a balloon mold. Finished with Bondo. Prototype Vehicle - Unsinkable SamUnsinkable Sam was the prototype vehicle built in the fall of 2009. Highlights include successful implementation of under-the-seat stearing and a successful
2009 Season
Details
In the 2009 ASME HPVC east Olin's team placed 3rd overall out of 20 teams in the speed class, behind Rose-Hulman and Missouri S&T. Highlights of the 2009 build season include our infamous "golf ball" fairing and a great 3rd place finish in the Women's sprint event.
Competition Vehicle - HeliosHelios was our competition vehicle for 2009. The vehicle is a traditional low-riding recumbent; see more details on Helios in the table below or take a look at our design report. The most interesting part of the build was our fairing construction, which involved designing a fairing shape in solidworks CAD and then constructing this shape out of a cardboard honeycomb for layup.
Download our 2009 Design Report
Frame 4130 Chromoly Steel Drivetrain