The World's Fastest Bike

Dissecting the Diablo

1. The Diablo's base is a composite tub that serves as the monocoque chassis to which the body and subframe are attached.

2. The body is made from carbon fiber and Kevlar, so it's light, strong and good at insulating the driver from road rash. (Whittingham has walked away from an inadvertent crash test at more than 80 mph.)

3. Whittingham, a former member of the Canadian national bicycling team, sits on the floor of the tub. His seat back is made of surplus Boeing aircraft flooring.

4. Whittingham steers with handlebars attached to the front wheel and looks out a plastic canopy. This makes the Diablo easier to control than fully enclosed bikes, which have no way to see out and use video screens and remote steering.

5. Georgiev builds the 24-inch wheels with carbon-fiber discs
and aluminum rims and uses junior racing tires. Whittingham's short legs necessitate the smaller-than-usual wheel size, since he straddles the front wheel.

6. The Diablo uses a front disc brake [not visible] because at high speeds, conventional caliper brakes would cause the rims to overheat, blowing the tires.

7. The front-wheel-drive
powertrain features a pair of chains that meet at an intermediate gear axle, fitted with a special hub that allows for more than twice as much gear reduction as
a conventional racing bike.

8. Most components are hung on a motorcycle-strength 4130-chromoly-steel subframe bolted to a bracket that's glued to the tub.