Hiro have you ever been in a bike race, in a pack, where it was hard to keep up?
Do you know WHY it was hard to keep up? Either wind resistance, or gravity.
Less wind resistance is good.
As rare as frame aerodynamics may make a difference in your road racing, it is more likely they will make a difference than the grams of weight or millimeter geometry adjustments from custom frames will.
So if you want to think of frame aerodynamics as stupid to worry about, and I think that is only half crazy, you can. But worrying about the tiny difference in geometry, weight, and stiffness is *even stupider*
I race bikes, I understand aerodynamics, I've done the math, and I've definitely had at least one cat 3 podium that would not have happened if I had been on a custom TI bike =)
Of course I also didn't pay anywhere near $4,000 for my s5.
Buy the S2, in the winter when it is on sale. Great value!
hiro11 wrote:
Aero frames are likely the least effective cost / watt saved option in cycling. You're better off with $50 shoe covers. The is especially true in road frames. The proported aero benefit of a frame like the S5 vs a round tube road frame is
completely negligible, especially in a crit / sportif / group ride that 99.9% of potential buyers are going to be using this for. Even Cervelo's "lab tested" benefits are ridiculously small and completely meaningless if you're in a pack (which most people buying this will be). Don't believe the hype, this is snake oil / conspicuous consumption. I don't fault people who want to buy the S5, there are far, far worse ways to blow money. I also own a Scott Foil and several sets of deep section wheels so I'm just as guilty as the next man. But let's be clear about what we're all paying for here: pride of ownership.
Kat Hunter reports on the San Dimas Stage Race from inside the GC winning team Aeroweenie.com -Compendium of Aero Data and Knowledge Freelance sports & outdoors writer Kathryn Hunter
