Aerodynamics in cycling is a complex topic, so we took your questions to Chris Yu and Dave Koesel, two of the foremost experts in cycling aerodynamics, at the Specialized Win Tunnel. This is one of our most informative episodes yet, and we think you’ll love it!
Any questions about the episode or questions for Chris and Dave? Leave a reply below and we’ll get them answered!
Two Things:
Dave from Specialized said their molded tubeless clinchers are the fastest tire option with the least rolling resistance. Are any of their Pro Tour riders making the jump to this or are they still tubular?
They mention a video about how to mount number plates. Anyone know where that is?
If I could cut it just under the bicep. Clean like. Maybe have it professionally done. But yeah all this is sorta silly. Reminds me of watching Dave K there ride me off his wheel. No amount of aero would have made a difference.
Best podcast in a long while, only caveat I have is after watching some of the S-Works wind tunnel videos, it’s important to note all their testing is done a elite level speed (45kph for example). You need to consider two factors here: aero resistance is logarithmic, but also, that ‘air speed’ and ‘ground speed’ are two different metrics. This is how aircraft take off on short runways when they have strong head winds. The ground speed can be slow, but the air speed is high.
Can I also suggest limiting all podcasts to an hour, I feel this forces people in to clear, concise answers
This was what I was going to ask. They keep stating gains (or rather, reducing losses) of 5, 10, 20 Watts for various changes, but didn’t seem to mention the speed at which these numbers were observed.
Great topic and really informative, other than @Nate_Pearson asking a great question at 19:44 on who should buy which bike (Venge/Tarmac). Chris said there’s a different answer for a pro and everyday person, but before he’s allowed to answer for the everyday person, he’s interrupted to go off on a tangent about sprint finishes. Aaagh! Any chance of a follow-up with Chris to get the everyday person answer, as I’m test riding both bikes (and the new S5) this month and would appreciate more thoughts on how to think about the different bikes?
