Is Aero good for taller riders?

BikeSwan
BikeSwan Posts: 260
edited November 2012 in Road general
What I mean is . . . if your 6'4" and you have an aero road bike, does the aero advantage make as much of a difference as it would for a 5'7" rider? I convinced myself that it wasn't worth it, and the extra weight from having an Aero bike would be worse than what the advantage in aerodynamics could make up for. I was deciding between a Cannondale SuperSix Evo and an Cervelo S5, and I went for the Cannondale because of this.

Has anyone got any thoughts on this, or better yet, some hard data?
“Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.”

Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod Mk.2
Specialized S-Works Enduro 29
Santa Cruz Blur TRc
Santa Cruz Tallboy
Omega Alchemy

Comments

  • Gabbo
    Gabbo Posts: 864
    Bradley Wiggins: Won TDF time trial and Olympic time trial. Stands at 6ft3
  • BikeSwan
    BikeSwan Posts: 260
    Gabbo wrote:
    Bradley Wiggins: Won TDF time trial and Olympic time trial. Stands at 6ft3

    Thats pretty definitive isn't it really!
    “Don’t buy upgrades, ride up grades.”

    Cannondale SuperSix EVO Hi-Mod Mk.2
    Specialized S-Works Enduro 29
    Santa Cruz Blur TRc
    Santa Cruz Tallboy
    Omega Alchemy
  • Wily-Quixote
    Wily-Quixote Posts: 269
    Depends on your ability to get aero, I would have thought. If you're very inflexible the surface area of your upper body might negate the aero effects of the frame.
  • Blancmange
    Blancmange Posts: 103
    Gabbo wrote:
    Bradley Wiggins: Won TDF time trial and Olympic time trial. Stands at 6ft3

    And weighed just 69kg. His forearms look to carry more muscle than his upper arms. Isn't his
    team nickname Skinny Arse, or something.

    I am 5' 9" and weigh 69kg, myself - with barely a 32" waist.

    Can it be healthy in the long term for him to weigh so little?
    - Slave to the cadence -
  • danowat
    danowat Posts: 2,877
    It's about frontal area, regardless of height.......
  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,312
    It doesn't say anything about tall riders

    http://www.nestle.ca/en/products/brands/aero/index
    left the forum March 2023
  • Joeblack
    Joeblack Posts: 829
    Blancmange wrote:
    Gabbo wrote:
    Bradley Wiggins: Won TDF time trial and Olympic time trial. Stands at 6ft3

    And weighed just 69kg. His forearms look to carry more muscle than his upper arms. Isn't his
    team nickname Skinny ars*, or something.

    I am 5' 9" and weigh 69kg, myself - with barely a 32" waist.

    Can it be healthy in the long term for him to weigh so little?


    I'm 6'3" and once weighed 65kg I was very skinny, but still healthy the only problem you get is if you get ill your body can struggle to cope as it has very little reserves.

    That said I now weigh 83kg after putting in a lot of work with nutrition and the gym, I'm a lot healthier now
    One plays football, tennis or golf, one does not play at cycling
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    Aero is aero... works the same whether you're 5ft5 of 6ft3...

    If anything it has more of a benefit for bigger riders who are naturally outputting more power and cycling faster on the flat.. at higher speeds the benefit is greater.
  • FlacVest
    FlacVest Posts: 100
    It isn't about size, ultimately, it's about what your body can metabolize and put out. You can have all of the muscle in the world or be the most aerodynamic in terms of size, but if your body can't put out the power then you won't do well.

    As others have said, Wiggins is an example of this; those guys could wear anything and still beat well, almost anybody in full kit. From my experiences though, just wearing cycling shorts and a tight jersey and riding on the hoods gives me a higher average than fitting gym shorts (running shorts, not baggy) and a dri-fit tshirt in the drops.

    If there's no baggage, that wind will slide right off of you.

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