I do have such an article, and Rudy IS a sponsor. I race in the Rudy helmet because that is what I am required to wear. BUT, I do find the helmet to be very comfortable and faster than my road helmet, although I couldn't give you an exact wattage number. One of these days, I'll do some TT runs with both. I hope to get a chance to do some test runs of it vs. my LG Rocket as well. The Rocket "appears" to be faster than the Rudy, just based off my loose interpretation of my SRM files. But I also would sweat like a banshee (not sure how much banshees actually sweat) in the LG (it is great in the winter, though), and I don't in the Rudy. I think that is definitely a factor given that we run after biking. Were this a bike-only sport, temperature and fluid management would be a non-issue. But it isn't.
The point of my article on the Timex site was more to encourage people to get *an* aerohelmet. The Rudy is a nice compromise for people that don't want the full dome covering. I have a friend who races in a Rocket, and he definitely notices extra strain in his neck. Maybe a bit of extra weight, but also with that big tail (which is what makes it fast) crosswinds are going to affect you more. So the Rudy is a nice balance of comfort (weight and heat) and aerodynamics. But if you want to go as fast as possible, I will readily admit that there are helmets that are going to be faster.
Even the folks at Rudy know it is not the fastest possible design. Most of the Rudy sponsored teams raced in the helmet with the carbon fairing shell in the TdF & Giro. There are pics of it somewhere. That shell will be available next spring ('07), so similar to the visor and earpieces, you can make your helmet more aero (and a bit hotter) should you choose to.
I'd love to have some real tunnel data to quote, but I don't. If I get around to doing some tests with my SRM, I'll post those, as flawed as they may be.
EDIT: I replied before seeing John's data. Certainly not suprising. I'd still like to do some runs on my own, just to see what I get out on the road, which of course will be less precise, but also unique to my position.
"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp
The point of my article on the Timex site was more to encourage people to get *an* aerohelmet. The Rudy is a nice compromise for people that don't want the full dome covering. I have a friend who races in a Rocket, and he definitely notices extra strain in his neck. Maybe a bit of extra weight, but also with that big tail (which is what makes it fast) crosswinds are going to affect you more. So the Rudy is a nice balance of comfort (weight and heat) and aerodynamics. But if you want to go as fast as possible, I will readily admit that there are helmets that are going to be faster.
Even the folks at Rudy know it is not the fastest possible design. Most of the Rudy sponsored teams raced in the helmet with the carbon fairing shell in the TdF & Giro. There are pics of it somewhere. That shell will be available next spring ('07), so similar to the visor and earpieces, you can make your helmet more aero (and a bit hotter) should you choose to.
I'd love to have some real tunnel data to quote, but I don't. If I get around to doing some tests with my SRM, I'll post those, as flawed as they may be.
EDIT: I replied before seeing John's data. Certainly not suprising. I'd still like to do some runs on my own, just to see what I get out on the road, which of course will be less precise, but also unique to my position.
"Non est ad astra mollis e terris via." - Seneca | rappstar.com | FB - Rappstar Racing | IG - @jordanrapp