Slippery road kit

[toolonglegs]

To be honest TLL, I think having your running gear running as smooth as you can and then having the best and quickest rubber you can afford would be the better way to go for you. If it was long TTs that you were targeting, then yeah it would be an idea and then only if you were chasing a Title of some significance.

Foo

I usually have Veloflex tubs on 58/88 rims ... not much more I can do there.
Drive train is always fairly new.

At the moment I still need to lose the kgs and move back up to Cat 1 races ... unless I win the next 3 races that ain't going to happen this year ... maybe next .

This thread isn't too serious anyway, just a bit of theoretical fun.

[foo on patrol]

You could always wrap yourself in glad wrap for $2.50. Then you become aero and lose weight at the same time.

Foo

[clackers]

You could always wrap yourself in glad wrap for $2.50. Then you become aero and lose weight at the same time.

Foo

Tip from those who collected insects as kids ... remember to leave an air hole.

[foo on patrol]

You could always wrap yourself in glad wrap for $2.50. Then you become aero and lose weight at the same time.

Foo

Tip from those who collected insects as kids ... remember to leave an air hole.

Foo

[dalai47]

You finish with the point I was making, you have to be strong to use them, work on the strength first dont just go out and buy all the equipment cause in the end you will get to a race and realise you still cant keep up. So yes there is a marginal gain but save it for the big races, work on getting stronger first.

Benefits or aero equipment/position improvements and training are not mutually exclusive. Doubt TLL is going to ease up on the training because he has suddenly saved 10 Watts due to a new helmet...

Helmets and other aero gear does make a difference and will help whether in the bunch or off the front. Cervelo suggest a linear reduction from being in the draft.

"Aerodynamics are still important in other riding conditions. Drafting in the bunch, you need about 30% less power. (Jeukendrup, High-Performance Cycling). This doesn't mean there's no benefit from riding an aero bike in the peloton, it just means you'll keep about 70% of your aero bike's aero benefit when you're in the draft." http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/t ... amics.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Substitute aero bike bolded in the above with aero equipment.

In regards to helmets, you just need to find the right helmet for you as it is individual. I saved 10 Watts by swapping aero helmets. Would expect similar differences between road helmets too. I use a Limar 104 Ultralight as it has a much smaller frontal aero and no big scoops like other brands.

Might out of curiousity field test (http://bikereviews.com/wp-content/uploa ... helmet.jpg)this with my old Met Stadivarius (http://www.rennrad-news.de/rennrad-mark ... varius.jpg)

[dalai47]

Another article suggests there is still a benefit, though at a greater reduction compared to Cervelos estimate.

From http://triathlete-europe.competitor.com ... aero-myths" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The myth of the pack
A frequent counter to the rise of aero equipment in road racing is that once nestled inside a peloton, drafting behind a bunch of other riders, the aerodynamic gains are no longer relevant.

GC riders and climbers often make this argument, citing the fact that they never have to take a turn in the wind until the final climb.

D’Aluisio runs into this perception regularly. “When I was introducing the Venge to Saxo Bank and the Schlecks, their reaction was ‘wow, that’s cool, it would be a good one-day classics bike. But I sit in the pack all the time; I don’t need it.’”

The numbers refute this view, though. First and foremost, “when you’re sitting in the group, the air speed is actually higher for the bike than for your head, because there’s less draft down there,” explained Cote. That means there’s more air hitting your equipment than your body.

The numbers show that while overall drag of bike and rider does decrease when in a peloton, any aerodynamic improvements that are present without a draft still exist.

“The percentage decrease in drag remains the same,” explained Cote. “The overall decreases, but you still get the same percentage lopped off that total drag figure.

“If you’re in clean air, going from a Tarmac SL3 with box-section wheels to a Venge with aero wheels will reduce bicycle system drag by about 6%, or 20 watts at 40kph,” says Cote. “In a draft – and we tested this in the wind tunnel with multiple riders both head-on and in an echelon – the percentage difference was still 20%. Total drag went down for the drafting rider, but the percentage decrease was still there. In the draft, you get six watts at 40kph, versus 20 watts in clean air. The gains are still there – smaller but still significant.”

The hesitancy to go aero isn’t particularly surprising. Humans can barely detect the sort of changes brought on by most aero gear – our senses in this realm are limited to variances of about 5%. And though the math doesn’t lie, it can certainly mislead.

[trailgumby]

You could always wrap yourself in glad wrap for $2.50. Then you become aero and lose weight at the same time.

Foo

Tip from those who collected insects as kids ... remember to leave an air hole.

Yep. Entry AND exit!