Anyone out there with an engineering degree who could shed some opinions or data on this Kamm Tail concept. I have heard from one of the biggest names in bicycle aerodynamics that the Kamm concept is all marketing hype and the wrong way to go. The sharp trailing edges are super bad and the proof is in motorsports were the Kamm has been long dead for a reason (just watch F1, etc.) NACA shapes do not apply well to bikes due to the speed an airplane travels (makes sense). Bikes have the most in common with sail boasts due to the low speeds they are travelling at (makes sense). The Toyota Prius is a Kamm Tail and due to the electric engine only coming on at low speeds, the aerodynamics probably account for most of the gas savings (but are the benfits due to the Kamm tail?). So, is this cutting edge or cutting edge hype?
For example, take the big C brand. C's entire marketing plan in the early 2000s was based on the wheel cut out and getting the tire close as possible. I always laughed at the aero marketing at the time because my LOOK KG196 already incorporated many of the current design ideas and it was a decade old. Data over the last 8 years basically proved this concept bad due to the airflow generated off the tires. From my background, the thinking in Europe is stiffer the better regardless of data, so maybe it was a trade off between aero and stiffness. The Kamm shape should definitely be stiff.
Thoughts?
For example, take the big C brand. C's entire marketing plan in the early 2000s was based on the wheel cut out and getting the tire close as possible. I always laughed at the aero marketing at the time because my LOOK KG196 already incorporated many of the current design ideas and it was a decade old. Data over the last 8 years basically proved this concept bad due to the airflow generated off the tires. From my background, the thinking in Europe is stiffer the better regardless of data, so maybe it was a trade off between aero and stiffness. The Kamm shape should definitely be stiff.
Thoughts?
