Road Bike Weight Vs Aerodynamics
Compare these super lightweight hill climbers bikes.
Road bike weight vs aerodynamics. Now we can compare a five per cent improvement in aerodynamics on the bike with a five per cent reduction of weight from the bike. Significantly lower level of effort and hence for a few more minutes but in this analysis we only consider uci road racing bicycles with no aerodynamic accessories that add weight such as aero bars or disc wheels. If you weigh 90kg and your bike is 7kg with the wheelset a miserly 1 1kg your hoops. The very basic difference between a triathlon and a road bike is the geometry of the frame more specifically the seat tube angle.
The rotating weight penalty only affects acceleration and we really don t have to worry about acceleration very much. The effect of a bike s weight during acceleration is small and the effect of a wheel s weight is very small. Way back in 2001 bike engineer kraig willett analysed the forces on wheels and concluded. Hewings makes a valid point and further to the body weight issue it s worth considering the following too.
At 50 kph the lightning f 90 rider expends just 324 watts on a level windless road at sea level. But if a road bike is your preference then one of the newer aero road bikes would be worth considering. To take bianchi s range as an example the specialissima lightweight road bike has a claimed frame weight of 780g and the fork is 340g a total of 1 120g. Let us know whether you love a super light bike or if you re more than happy with a bit of extra weight to be more aerodynamic.
Run up a flight of stairs. So spend less time being a weight weenie and eating salads and more time working on being able to hold an aerodynamic tuck and fuelling your. The oltre xr4 aero road bike has a claimed frame weight of 980g and a fork weight of 370g a total of 1 350g. 5 things i learned in the wind tunnel.
And 2kg is a big reduction in road bike terms. A triathlon time trial bicycle is the most aerodynamic. Most manufactures now have at least one high end aero road bike that has been wind tunnel tested. If performance is your aim there s strong evidence that you should put more priority on aerodynamics than weight.
Sure you ve across triathletes lifting and running with their bikes over their head but don t get fooled into thinking the bikes are lightweight. When evaluating wheel performance wheel aerodynamics are the most important distantly followed by wheel mass.