Yeah that's probable, sometimes it's hard to gauge what a patent can cover but they'll likely get something. I also agree that the first-to-market along with integration and marketing would be enough to at the least give them a sizable share of the market.

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I like analyzing things - http://engineeringfitness.org

I believe everyone is focusing on cycling or multisport when, in reality, the Aerostick has always been seen as something to be used in other, more lucrative, industries as well. There's been a lot of interest for automotive, trucking, and, if I'm not mistaken, ocean-going vessels.

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Jim Manton / ERO Sports

How is this different, fundamentally, from the PowerPod? That device, despite Ray's review as being pretty accurate under most (but not all) conditions, is invisible (to me). I have *never* seen one in the wild on group rides or races. Now, I know that the PowerPod is not designed exactly like a pitot tube, but the function seems pretty identical. Of course, the PP is a *power* meter and, as such, can't deliver *both* power and CdA. BUT, a PP plus a 'traditional' power meter could (in theory, but PP would need to enable that - although it could possibly be done as a CIQ, I think). So, while this is an interesting development (Garmin's purchase), this field of aerodynamic sensors on the bike is not totally unexplored. But PP better figure out where they fit in or Garmin will bury them. Maybe they already have!

This right here.

Whats the percentage of triathletes that know what CdA actually is and what effects it? And better yet, how many know the equation for drag? The one's that understand these questions are going to be the one's that buy it and use it consistently. You may get some who have a very small/vague understanding of drag and CdA to buy it, but I'd be willing to bet they use it a few times and then it ends up in the drawer or in the classifieds.

That said..... my credit card is ready. Take my money Garmin :)

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Maybe, but what about using it as a reminder hold your position. Say you know you have a set number that you are happy with but when you sit up to take a drink or eat or just get sloppy it sets off an alarm. That has greater appeal. Or maybe you have some sort of rule you set for yourself based on power, speed, wind direction and drag that says now is a good time to stretch you won't lose much time here, etc.... if priced right $200 - 250 then I'm in.

This is $699 at a min from Garmin..

The biggest thing is that this thing measures yaw and am willing to be accuracy.

OK, but what does yaw provide here? I suppose that you could imagine a time study in which CdA is plotted as a function of yaw, but this is not a wind tunnel, so relative air velocity will not be constant and you can't 'sweep' the yaw as in a wind tunnel. And in the real world, yaw is at the mercy of your direction relative to wind direction and your velocity relative to wind velocity. Maybe, with enough data, you could do something with that by binning datapoints at similar yaw for a CdA analysis or similar. But, if I understand correctly, PP estimates the relative wind velocity - so it does not know the yaw, but it does sense the component of the air velocity that opposes the bike. Maybe I don't understand the PP completely, but I don't see how it could estimate power unless it senses the relative wind velocity, which is influenced by yaw.

What % of PM users know the equation for calculating power or knownthe correlation between a watt and a Kcal? They know that bigger numbers are better and they learn what an FTP is or not, but still buy a PM. People know that less drag is better; smaller numbers are better. The same people that like to see their power are going to enjoy seeing their drag in live-time.

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

whats to understand? lower CdA is better... much as higher power is better
even if you don't have in depth knowledge of the best ways of achieving low drag, with this device you can experiment and find what works for you

i'll be keen IFF the price is right

How many of those people with pm's actually use it effectively and not just watch the numbers on every ride?

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What would the aerostick provide over a traditional pitot setup, even one with multiple dynamic pressure points for yaw measurement, in an auto environment? I've used pitot tubes in auto racing environments before and they are definitely useful for development, but I can't imagine why I would want one on my street car. Even with street cars that have active aerodynamic elements the logic is pretty easy to figure out with just speed, steering wheel sensor, throttle and brake pedal placement. i.e. throttle 100% and steering wheel angle low == low drag.....steering wheel angle above a certain threshold == high downforce.

That's an excellent area where using an aero stick might be used to quickly train one's intuition. I'm often surprised to see other cyclists ride counter to their best aero interests i.e. sitting up while riding into a significant headwind just because they're on an uphill section or getting extremely aero with a strong tailwind when they might take a long overdue stretch with little to no penalty. Considering how much many are willing to pay several thousand for a set of wheels that may save a hand full of minutes here's a tool that could easily help you save more time.

Hugh

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

Exactly, so it could sell as well as PM's in a decade from now

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

or even sooner if cyclists perceive it as a "must have" accessory.

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Genetics load the gun, lifestyle pulls the trigger.

This is potentially the worst news ever. I have no time to train and am pathetically unfit, but I punch above my weight at quite a few races by understanding aero a little bit for bike setup and having a decent position. Making aerodynamic optimization available to the AG masses is the last thing I need, now I'll have to bloody train!

Don't worry, when Garmin releases this you'll probably still be passing lots of people....the only difference will be you will be passing people with pitot tubes sticking out in front of their bikes. </pink (sorta)>

See all the people with power meters that don't train effectively with them now, or use them in a race effectively.

uhh, this is slowtwitch. duh!

I agree. When I started cycling seriously in 2009, after competing at swimming only, I saw a power meter as essential, as I was used to recording my times for every rep in swimming training, and couldn't imagine training for cycling without similarly comparable performance data from day to day. So I had a power meter pretty much from the start, and this was seen as pretty odd by other club members, they were definitely a niche product at the time. But now they have gained mass acceptance, they were never inherently a niche product, it just took time for people to appreciate what they could get out of owning one. I think an aero sensor will be the same. Initially, you'll be seen as a bit of a lunatic if you turn up to a club ride with an aero sensor on your bike, but eventually they'll become as accepted as power meters are today.

Lower CdA or higher power alone is nice but insufficient to assess whether it's better. What's better is what gets you to the finish more quickly, hence the need to assess the impact of any set up change to both power and CdA.

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http://www.cyclecoach.com
http://www.aerocoach.com.au

Remeber that in that time, the availability of quality affordable power meters has increased immensely.

I definitely get some funny looks when I'm using my aero system. Well, I'm assuming it's the system that gets the funny looks, anyway.

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Developing aero, fit and other fun stuff at Red is Faster