Aerodynamics is a huge topic and one that everyone realizes is super important but is hard to know what to do to make the gains we need to make. We will break this down in to a multi part series so let’s have a look. If you are into Triathlon or Road Cycling then one of the biggest gains you can make is to improve your Aerodynamics, it is in play in running also but to far less of an extent. How important is it? It is just about everything!
To make us go forward on our bikes we are limited by 3 main factors, there are others but the big 3 are:1-Drive Train Friction2-Rolling Resistance3-Aero Dynamics/Wind Resistance. We will get into 1 and 2 in the coming weeks but let’s start with Aero, did you know that up to 80% of the drag (effort to go forward we cause) is from the body, the remainder is mostly made up from the bike so there are significant gains to be made here with some very easy and subtle changes, have your attention now?Going fast on the bike is all about how much power we can sustain, so if for example you can hold 250 watts for Ironman, and your Aero Drag is terrible you will simply go slower than the person pushing 250 watts with a good
Aero set up, its that simple. The gains can vary from seconds to tens of minutes. So, we need to chase gains that give us savings in wattage, don’t worry if you don’t yet have a power meter, the savings still apply to you. First off, lets look at the rider, we are all built different, different shapes, different bone densities, different levels of flexibility, shoulder width and much more. So, there is not a one size fits all approach to being Aero. One of the first gains you can make is getting fitted to your bike properly, a good bike fitter will look at more than just your position, you should also be looking at the angles of your help flexor in relation to power output. Also looking at the bike fit in terms of how aero it makes you. Comfort is number 1, and there will always be trade offs between comfort and Aero, as the most Aero position will almost certainly not be the comfortable. Forget what you see the Tour De France riders looking like on their TT bikes, they are full time athletes with access to the best bike fitters and wind tunnels available.
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A good example of this is the hand position on AeroBars, almost everybody is converting to the “praying mantis” version where the forearms are angled up, hands in front of the face. This breaks the wind and allows natural flow around the shoulders and body. The trade off is comfort and bike handling, so there is a balance to be had. On a road bike, simply riding a narrower handlebar, or a slight turn inwards of your levers can be a simple reduction, if you have a bend in your elbow and basically remove the forearms from the front end profile then you have just reduced the arm profile presented to the wind by 50%, that’s huge. We will break down each component of bike fit and aero gains of both Road and TT bikes in the future as they are huge topics.
For now, lets look at some super simple, free gains in terms of wattage. These are all backed up wind tunnel testing internationally and they blew my mind when I researched them.Here’s a few gems:Gain 1, shaving your legs! Get the razor out gentlemen, this is much more about Aero than looking cool. Up to 10-15 watts can be saved by this! Less so with the arms, that ranges from 2-4 watts.Gain 2, clothing wrinkles, this is massive, get kit that firstly fits you and get the smallest size you can wear. Look for products with aero material in the shoulders and bicep areas, dimples or lines like the Tineli or Santini gear has. And yes to our Triathlete friends, Sleeved kit is much more Aerodynamic than exposed shoulders!Check the kits when you are on your bike in your race position, par particular attention to anything loose or any creases, especially around the hips. The hips having folds or creases can cause major negative disturbance.
The gains here vary depending on what you read from 5 watts for a good fitted Aero Jersey through to 10-15 watts for a proper Tri/Skinsuit. Gain 3- Aero socks, this one blew me away, simply having a decent pair of Aero socks can save 3-6 watts! Then we start looking at Drive Train in terms of how clean that is, plus rolling resistance, but that’s for next time. So as you can see you can quite easily save 25-40 watts plus with some very basic changes, those numbers would be huge for something like a 160km bike race or 180km Ironman. There will be exceptions, variances of course, but there is no doubt they are massive and would be the difference between a win or a personal best.
