TOUR MAG AERO TEST 2016

[53x12]

Worth noting this: "Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez was the first rider to receive Canyon's Aeroad CF SLX, courtesy of Walzer's 1600km drive from Koblenz to Barcelona. Its predecessor served as his spare bike at the Tour."

Nice that Walzer believed the Aeroad CF SLX was important enough for El Purito and could make a difference, that Walzer drove 1600km just to make sure El Purito would have the bike and be able to use it. Also lets not forget that Walzer "offers wind tunnel testing" as part of his services to the teams. So much for just "feelings." No need for a wind tunnel if you can just optimize your position and bike equipment by "feelings."

[Dr.Dos]

Worth noting this: "Katusha's Joaquim Rodriguez was the first rider to receive Canyon's Aeroad CF SLX, courtesy of Walzer's 1600km drive from Koblenz to Barcelona. Its predecessor served as his spare bike at the Tour."

Nice that Walzer believed the Aeroad CF SLX was important enough for El Purito and could make a difference, that Walzer drove 1600km just to make sure El Purito would have the bike and be able to use it. Also lets not forget that Walzer "offers wind tunnel testing" as part of his services to the teams. So much for just "feelings." No need for a wind tunnel if you can just optimize your position and bike equipment by "feelings."

A current multi-time TdF stage winner received a fresh bike because there was a photo-story for a popular german mag. The same rider has his sponsor-correct glasses with him in case somebody takes pics so he can switch from an incorrect Oakley Jawbreaker. Another neo-WT-pro is obliged to ride Zipp 404's during _every_ training ride on his Canyon, probably a general rule for every rider there.

Both are frequently with our training group so no out-of-butt talking.

[knukkeltje]

Canyon's team liaison Andreas Walzer:
"The aero bike or the climbing bike? Di2 or mechanical transmission? 40mm rims or 60mm? The fixed, one-piece carbon cockpit, or the greater field of adjustment offered by a conventional aluminium bar and stem? For Andreas Walzer, Canyon's team liaison to Katusha and Movistar, it is almost entirely a matter of rider psychology. “The riders have to believe, and this is more important than anything else,” he says. “If they are confident that they have the best material, that they have chosen it, that they have changed the position of the levers, for example, then they are ready."

Walzer says that riders choose what they believe is the fastest for them, because that will make them feel most comfortable / give most confidence.
He does not say that what they choose is actually the fastest for them.

I agree with this qoute.

[kgt]

What Walzer says is pretty clear IMO.

[imhockey]

Here is what others do in the industry:

Beta Sweep
The drag is taken at zero yaw, that is, with the bike facing into a direct headwind. Then, a turret on which the balance sits is turned according to a “beta schedule”. This is the series of angles the model will be rotated to during a run for collecting data. Cervélo was using a self-defined protocol named “Beta Schedule 5” that tested angles of 20, 15, 12.5, 10, 7.5, 5, 0 -5, -7.5 -10, -12.5, -15, -20, 0. According to Cervélo, in areas where the data shows the most variation more yaw angles are tested, whereas in areas where data is—from experience—less variant, a larger gap between angles is sufficient.

During each step in the beta sweep the tunnel operator will wait until the data is stable and then hit a “capture” button. The data is captured at a rate of 15 samples per second for 10 seconds and when it’s complete the balance automatically moves to the next beta angle on the beta schedule. At this point the tunnel operator may need to adjust the fan motor power output to maintain a consistent wind velocity in the test section as the “apparent” size of the model may block the air, and increase the wind speed. Once wind speed is normal, and the drag numbers stabilize, the operator hits the capture button. The beta schedule that Cervélo was using at this test took approximately 20 minutes per run.
http://www.slowtwitch.com/Tech/A_Day_in ... _2198.html

i found this link very informative and a great insight into the industry. it changed my mind on a few things...thanks for posting it.

[Dez33]

No need for a wind tunnel if you can just optimize your position and bike equipment by "feelings."

Welcome to Team Sky's marginal gains ...... /sarcasm

[DavidMLee]

Well. I was surprised how modest aero advantage Vias has..

[rodebaron51]

Since my nice F8 is total loss after a crash (car hit me) I think I am going for a Madone 9.9.... so I will be able to feel the difference between those 2 horses

[bungis]

A love the little blurb tucked away about handlebar width aero testing that goes something like this:
"Oh btw handlebar width makes more difference than frames."

[djconnel]

The importance of the handlebar was highlighted by the new Cervélo S5, where most of the aerodynamic gain relative to the predecessor came from a new aerodynamically optimized bar.

I am surprised how (with the same wheels) tight the Felt AR, Cervélo S5, and Madone 7 are: the Madone was supposed to be evolutionary. I'm also shocked how poorly the Venge Vias does. Remember "5 minutes per hour?" Remember all of the journalists riding a hilly circuit near Morgan Hill and reporting on their improved speed on the Vias? Interesting how Tour simply doesn't get the same results.

In any case, nice work by Trek.

[wingguy]

I'm also shocked how poorly the Venge Vias does. Remember "5 minutes per hour?"

I just went back and looked at that and to be fair the '5 minutes' referred to Vias + Roval + Evade + Skinsuit + Shoes. Also, to be fair, the Vias does very, very well in Tour's aero test. Equal first with the Madone.

It sucks in Tour's simulated ride because the simulation involves climbing and the Vias is a *f##k* heavy pig of a bike. And this being the forum that it is, that means it's crap and no-one who posts here should ever buy one

And journos get won over by being wined and dined and brainwashed like everyone else. I remember when Mavics last gen CC40s were released and the Bikeradar reviewer said they made him 2 miles an hour faster. He could have stopped and thought about the mechanics of that for 15 seconds and realised he was talking bollocks but hey, he was in the south of France on a free holiday and Mavic were being nice to him...

[KWalker]

The importance of the handlebar was highlighted by the new Cervélo S5, where most of the aerodynamic gain relative to the predecessor came from a new aerodynamically optimized bar.

I am surprised how (with the same wheels) tight the Felt AR, Cervélo S5, and Madone 7 are: the Madone was supposed to be evolutionary. I'm also shocked how poorly the Venge Vias does. Remember "5 minutes per hour?" Remember all of the journalists riding a hilly circuit near Morgan Hill and reporting on their improved speed on the Vias? Interesting how Tour simply doesn't get the same results.

In any case, nice work by Trek.

5 minutes per hour compared to the non-aero setup- alloy wheels, normal kit, a Tarmac or Roubaix as the bike. They weren't saying 5min over everyone else or even the old Venge.

I'd also wager that the Morgan Hill test course has fewer climbs and shorter climbs than what was in the Tour model.

The point of the 5 minutes campaign was to show people precisely how much aerodynamic optimization could matter and which products from Specialized contribute to the delta. They used their products not only to launch new products, but to simplify the equation for people a bit. Moreover, the demonstration was that all the components work as a system. We all know how much skinsuits are worth and a good helmet, which plays into that 5 minutes. Add in lower crr tires on a frame with aero wheels designed specifically for that frame and there's another part of the system. Same with the zany bars and stem. People seem to forget that the campaign was not about aero supremacy versus all competitors on all courses, but on the type of course many people ride and race on combining many aero components can provide you with a margin likely outside of what most normal cyclists would predict.

[RyanH]

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

[Oswald]

And journos get won over by being wined and dined and brainwashed like everyone else. I remember when Mavics last gen CC40s were released and the Bikeradar reviewer said they made him 2 miles an hour faster. He could have stopped and thought about the mechanics of that for 15 seconds and realised he was talking bollocks but hey, he was in the south of France on a free holiday and Mavic were being nice to him...

Also, if they don't write a good review, they will lose advertising. You would be shocked if you knew how much a full page add costs in a magazine. It costs a few thousand Euro for just 1 page. So, if a publisher had 3 magazines (for instance 1 for roadbikes, 1 mtb and 1 trekking) and an advertiser decides to quit advertising for a while because of a bad review, the publisher will lose tens of thousands of Euros...

[KarlC]

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

I've got Zipp SL Speed 27mm Tubs on Zipp 404s wheels on my BMC TMR01with no issues at all.