Aero bikes
Gingerflash
Posts: 239
Does anyone know of any independent studies that really compare like with like?
I'm thinking of a comparison between, say, a Cervelo S3 and an R3, with a rider wearing the same clothes, sitting in exactly the same position, using the same power over the same course.
I find it hard to believe that aero frames and components make any significant difference for normal riders. I can accept that the difference might be tiny, maybe less than 1% but given the huge surface area of a rider, compared to the very small surface area of the front of a bike, I'm sceptical that the difference is even quantifiable.
I read in ProCycling yesterday that some aero wheels were credited with the journo acheieving his best ever average speeds for a local loop, in spite of not having ridden much recently.
Ho hum.
I'd love to be proved wrong so I can justify to the wife an S3 with Zipps.
BTW, I'm not including proper TT bikes in this as the rider's position is the main aero difference and obviously isn't ideal for your average sportive or day in the hills!
I'm thinking of a comparison between, say, a Cervelo S3 and an R3, with a rider wearing the same clothes, sitting in exactly the same position, using the same power over the same course.
I find it hard to believe that aero frames and components make any significant difference for normal riders. I can accept that the difference might be tiny, maybe less than 1% but given the huge surface area of a rider, compared to the very small surface area of the front of a bike, I'm sceptical that the difference is even quantifiable.
I read in ProCycling yesterday that some aero wheels were credited with the journo acheieving his best ever average speeds for a local loop, in spite of not having ridden much recently.
Ho hum.
I'd love to be proved wrong so I can justify to the wife an S3 with Zipps.
BTW, I'm not including proper TT bikes in this as the rider's position is the main aero difference and obviously isn't ideal for your average sportive or day in the hills!
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Comments
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From: Round tubing
To:Airfoil chainstays, down/seat tube & post
30 secs - 2 Minutes over 40k's
( (Reference: J Cobb, Martin/Cervelo))
Deepsection wheels were about 30secs over the same distance0 -
Interesting. Do you have a link?0
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Its a TT article, but the drag savings from equipment are comparable....
http://www.socalttseries.com/Training/A ... fault.aspx0 -
Gingerflash wrote:I read in ProCycling yesterday that some aero wheels were credited with the journo acheieving his best ever average speeds for a local loop, in spite of not having ridden much recently.
I read that this morning on the train in to work. What a load of crap! He probably rode well (if true), because he's had a good rest. I am incredibly sceptical of any article or review making silly claims. If you aren't Jens Voight, then you won't ride like him overnight just because you fitted product 'X'. It's nonsense.0 -
Depends just how much the quoted claims from procycling were, drag, especially at high(er) speeds has a huge impact on cycling, even simple things (like aero shoe covers) can have a fair impact on times, especially when you are travelling above 25mph, there is lots of wind tunnel data to back up such claims (just google aero time trial savings).0
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In frames it makes 2 parts of F-all difference as you are not in clean air that the testing is done in
Results published for road frames are marketing driven. If the "Aero" frame was so important EVERY pro team would be on an Aero frame.
Stats given are for speeds over 50kph so bear no relationship to the real world of mere mortals and 85% of the drag is the rider and the majority of the rest is the leading edge of the front wheel
Stiffness and rideability are the key to a good (or fast) bike not the marketing departmentRacing is life - everything else is just waiting0
