Hi folks,
For those that spend time in the tunnel, what makes the mantis position fast?
Why is it faster on some riders but not others? Is there a rhyme or reason to it? I know it can help to drop the shoulders/front of body.
Is it more helpful for flat back types, or just those that have a harder time getting low?
Is it only helpful if you can get you face close to your hands?
Is the benefit speed dependant?
I figure the hands up front can make a nice aerospike (it that a thing at sub supersonic speeds?), that might help channel airflow over/around the head/body. Kind of like a nosecone on a bluff body.
When looking at the rider from the front, is our goal to fill that “anatomical parachute” that occurs as air goes between out arms, below the chest, and smashes into our pelvis? Does a mantis position and narrow armrests, plus or minus a bta bottle help shift air to the sides of our body, not through the centre?
Thoughts appreciated, although I presume there will not be easy answers outside “go fly you and your bike to the nearest wind tunnel for testing.”
But the data/experience must be out there. Somebody had to have run smoke trails in the wind tunnel to see what effect it has on airflow. Or someone must have cfd modelled it.
For those that spend time in the tunnel, what makes the mantis position fast?
Why is it faster on some riders but not others? Is there a rhyme or reason to it? I know it can help to drop the shoulders/front of body.
Is it more helpful for flat back types, or just those that have a harder time getting low?
Is it only helpful if you can get you face close to your hands?
Is the benefit speed dependant?
I figure the hands up front can make a nice aerospike (it that a thing at sub supersonic speeds?), that might help channel airflow over/around the head/body. Kind of like a nosecone on a bluff body.
When looking at the rider from the front, is our goal to fill that “anatomical parachute” that occurs as air goes between out arms, below the chest, and smashes into our pelvis? Does a mantis position and narrow armrests, plus or minus a bta bottle help shift air to the sides of our body, not through the centre?
Thoughts appreciated, although I presume there will not be easy answers outside “go fly you and your bike to the nearest wind tunnel for testing.”
But the data/experience must be out there. Somebody had to have run smoke trails in the wind tunnel to see what effect it has on airflow. Or someone must have cfd modelled it.