TOUR MAG AERO TEST 2016

[justkeepedaling]

Simply because a TT is about the fastest person that goes from A to B, where every nano second counts.
In a road race is not about the fastest time but who finish first.
In a road race are many parameters that set the Aero advantage of a road race bike to almost zero. In this condition its' of no meaning.
Aero is not understand by many here.

A rider has more benefit with a bike with good handling and where he feels comfortable on, than just extra Aero elements on a bike which suits him less.
The difference between a normal road race bike and an Aero one is pure marketing to sell more bikes to normal consumers.

Really poor argument. There are many many wins that have more to do with aero than any other equipment parameter. Sprints, breaks, marking moves, making moves, etc. Saving energy is also critical in an endurance race over the course of weeks, like the Tour.

Aero is understood by many.

Tour de France winner has been on an aero bike for some time. Green jersey has been won by riders on aero bikes.

There is a statistically significant advantage in the pack and even more advantage at the front.

I guess you can win the race without ever going to the front?

[cyclespeed]

Simply because a TT is about the fastest person that goes from A to B, where every nano second counts.
In a road race is not about the fastest time but who finish first.
In a road race are many parameters that set the Aero advantage of a road race bike to almost zero. In this condition its' of no meaning.
Aero is not understand by many here.

A rider has more benefit with a bike with good handling and where he feels comfortable on, than just extra Aero elements on a bike which suits him less.
The difference between a normal road race bike and an Aero one is pure marketing to sell more bikes to normal consumers.

Really poor argument. There are many many wins that have more to do with aero than any other equipment parameter. Sprints, breaks, marking moves, making moves, etc. Saving energy is also critical in an endurance race over the course of weeks, like the Tour.

Aero is understood by many.

Tour de France winner has been on an aero bike for some time. Green jersey has been won by riders on aero bikes.

There is a statistically significant advantage in the pack and even more advantage at the front.

I guess you can win the race without ever going to the front?

Great, but then why are so many pros on Tarmacs? Are they stupid? Or just not keen on winning?

[wingguy]

And even in the peloton, you still have to pedal, there is still drag - you are moving at 50km/h ish, so even sheltered, you still have to pedal. Better to spend 200W here, than 230 surely?

Sure, if that was the choice - but it's not. No equipment changes (bike, helmet, shoes, clothing, wheels) combined will save you 30 watts drafting in the peleton. That's not even remotely realistic.

On that note - neither Specialized nor anyone else said that an aero fram would save you minutes over a Tarmac. They said an aero frame, plus aero wheels, plus aero handlebar, plus aero skinsuit, plus aero helmet, plus aero shoes would save you minutes over the equivalent 'normal' kit.

[cyclespeed]

And even in the peloton, you still have to pedal, there is still drag - you are moving at 50km/h ish, so even sheltered, you still have to pedal. Better to spend 200W here, than 230 surely?

On that note - neither Specialized nor anyone else said that an aero fram would save you minutes over a Tarmac. They said an aero frame, plus aero wheels, plus aero handlebar, plus aero skinsuit, plus aero helmet, plus aero shoes would save you minutes over the equivalent 'normal' kit.

So how much is the frame alone saving then? 1 minute? Less? Even if we say it's only 10 seconds, that's a lifetime in a Pro Tour, surely?

[wingguy]

So how much is the frame alone saving then? 1 minute? Less? Even if we say it's only 10 seconds, that's a lifetime in a Pro Tour, surely?

Not if you factor in how often a GC contender is going to be out on their own at 40kph+ for any great length of time.

[cyclespeed]

So how much is the frame alone saving then? 1 minute? Less? Even if we say it's only 10 seconds, that's a lifetime in a Pro Tour, surely?

Not if you factor in how often a GC contender is going to be out on their own at 40kph+ for any great length of time.

So an aero frame is pointless for a GC contender then?

[RyanH]

Why do the naysayers keep coming into this thread? Do they have some deep need to troll?

How annoying would it be if someone kept posting in every weight thread about how caring about bicycle weight is pointless since a 1kg drop in weight is less than 2% of total rider weight and who cares about 2% since psychologically you can overcome that 2% or you could just sweat a little longer or take a bigger crap in the morning or or...

At the end of the day, there's going to be a group of people that believe in aero, just as there are people that believe in religion or don't. It's absurd to keep belaboring the same point over and over and over again in every thread that pops up about aero.

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[cyclespeed]

Why do the naysayers keep coming into this thread? Do they have some deep need to troll?

How annoying would it be if someone kept posting in every weight thread about how caring about bicycle weight is pointless since a 1kg drop in weight is less than 2% of total rider weight and who cares about 2% since psychologically you can overcome that 2% or you could just sweat a little longer or take a bigger crap in the morning or or...

At the end of the day, there's going to be a group of people that believe in aero, just as there are people that believe in religion or don't. It's absurd to keep belaboring the same point over and over and over again in every thread that pops up about aero.

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Stay calm!

I do believe in aero. I take all measures I can to improve my Cd for normal road riding and the odd race; aero tops, aero helmet, shoe covers, aero wheels (LW Meilenstein). I have got my position pretty good and low and in roll down tests, it's better than most anyone I know.

I ride an SWorks Tarmac (SL5) and am seriously considering a full on aero road bike as my next purchase. But I would like to fully understand the pros and cons before I take the plunge. And the one thing I cannot figure out is why so many pros are still not riding aero frames. I haven't seen a decent explanation yet......

[pdlpsher1]

Great, but then why are so many pros on Tarmacs? Are they stupid? Or just not keen on winning?

Some pros get their advantages through other methods

[Calnago]

I ride an SWorks Tarmac (SL5) and am seriously considering a full on aero road bike as my next purchase. But I would like to fully understand the pros and cons before I take the plunge. And the one thing I cannot figure out is why so many pros are still not riding aero frames. I haven't seen a decent explanation yet......

Simple preference. Maybe they're used to it and don't want to change. Maybe they like the feel better. Maybe they feel the handling is better. Whatever their individual reasons are, they clearly feel that overall the benefits of an aero frame does not outweigh their reasons for choosing to ride something else.


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[justkeepedaling]

Great, but then why are so many pros on Tarmacs? Are they stupid? Or just not keen on winning?

Some pros get their advantages through other methods

One of the fastest descents recorded was done on a Cervelo S5 by Hushovd.

[justkeepedaling]

Why do the naysayers keep coming into this thread? Do they have some deep need to troll?

How annoying would it be if someone kept posting in every weight thread about how caring about bicycle weight is pointless since a 1kg drop in weight is less than 2% of total rider weight and who cares about 2% since psychologically you can overcome that 2% or you could just sweat a little longer or take a bigger crap in the morning or or...

At the end of the day, there's going to be a group of people that believe in aero, just as there are people that believe in religion or don't. It's absurd to keep belaboring the same point over and over and over again in every thread that pops up about aero.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

Stay calm!

I do believe in aero. I take all measures I can to improve my Cd for normal road riding and the odd race; aero tops, aero helmet, shoe covers, aero wheels (LW Meilenstein). I have got my position pretty good and low and in roll down tests, it's better than most anyone I know.

I ride an SWorks Tarmac (SL5) and am seriously considering a full on aero road bike as my next purchase. But I would like to fully understand the pros and cons before I take the plunge. And the one thing I cannot figure out is why so many pros are still not riding aero frames. I haven't seen a decent explanation yet......

Here's something interesting to think about. You'd think pros would all know exactly what their bike weighs, right?

Wrong.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMsgzD-JFQs

[KarlC]

Which of these frames take 28mm tires? The Madone does, any others?

What 28mm tires are you looking to use ?

Thx

[wingguy]

So how much is the frame alone saving then? 1 minute? Less? Even if we say it's only 10 seconds, that's a lifetime in a Pro Tour, surely?

Not if you factor in how often a GC contender is going to be out on their own at 40kph+ for any great length of time.

So an aero frame is pointless for a GC contender then?

No, it's not pointless. I think aero does help, and I think there will be a time quite soon where pretty much every racer is on an aero bike of some kind... HOWEVER the crux moments of a Grand Tour GC battle tend to happen either at the times when aero effect is at its minimum, and in TTs. In TTs, everyone already tries to get every single aero benefit they can but on the steepest climbs many riders are still going to go with the bike that feels like it's climbing the best.

For instance, if Contador feels like he can get a slightly better jump on a Tarmac than a Venge he'll choose the Tarmac, because if he can break the other riders off his wheel that's a big aero disadvantage for them, much bigger than the minute aero gain he would get climbing on the Venge but towing everyone else with him.

[pdlpsher1]

I ride an SWorks Tarmac (SL5) and am seriously considering a full on aero road bike as my next purchase. But I would like to fully understand the pros and cons before I take the plunge. And the one thing I cannot figure out is why so many pros are still not riding aero frames. I haven't seen a decent explanation yet......

Simple preference. Maybe they're used to it and don't want to change. Maybe they like the feel better. Maybe they feel the handling is better. Whatever their individual reasons are, they clearly feel that overall the benefits of an aero frame does not outweigh their reasons for choosing to ride something else.


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+1. Some pros are slow to adopt. Look at Nibali....he still rides a Campy mechanical group.