I've been meaning to post this on a day were I'd have time to answer questions, but that's just not happening right now as we're so busy, so here you go...
We recently conducted an independent aero test on the Rudy Project Wing Aero Helmet. 2 women and 2 men tested the helmet against the Giro Aerohead Ultimate and the POC Cerebel. The results are below, and here is a link to the video. I’ll try to answer as many questions as possible, and I’ll give the AeroLab boys a heads-up that this thread is here so they can answer sensor-related questions.
A couple of notes:
We used the AeroLab AeroPro sensor for the testing. This allowed us to test outdoors on an out and back course. We’ve been using the AeroPro for some time now, and have found the results to be as accurate as any wind tunnel or velodrome testing we’ve done.
If you watch the video, please note we did not take the photos and video the same day as testing. Not a problem except the athletes were riding very easily, soft-pedaling really, and so their heads were up quite high and Athlete #4’s clothing was different. During testing, all their heads were much lower.
Each test consists of 3 out and back runs. The athletes had to get out of their position at every turnaround. This allowed us to determine if they were able to consistently repeat their position and, therefore, drag number. If the results were inconsistent, the tests were re-run. All tests were conducted at race pace. The CdA’s of the 3 runs were averaged for the final CdA.
I partly wonder if the consistency in results we saw was simply because all the athletes have very similar positions. All positions except the road bike with clip-on aero bars are aggressive with tilted forearms. Something to think about in the future.
I think our female athletes, who both wear size medium helmets, could possibly have been put in a small Aerohead and Cerebel, though I doubt they would be all that comfortable in them.
Rudy Project had no knowledge that we were conducting this test. We purchased the helmets with our own money, and did not receive compensation for this testing. Rudy Project was informed of the results once the testing was completed.
Results:
Athlete #1 – David
Athlete #3 – Tony
Athlete #4 – Lisa
Position 1 – Road bike with Clip-On Aerobar
Position #2 – TriRig Omni
Interestingly, all the athletes love the Wing, and certainly preferred it over the other two helmets. All stated the helmet stayed in place better, was overall more comfortable, was easier to see out of, and it was by far the easiest to adjust as the halo dial is easily reached once on your head (watch the video).
Though these results may be a surprise to some, and were to me to a small extent, I had been given a heads-up from a World Tour team I work with that this helmet has been testing very fast on their athletes in the tunnel. I have since had athletes in the tunnel and the Wing consistently tests very fast confirming the results above. Those are not numbers I can share here.
So, it looks like Rudy Project has a winner on their hands with the Wing. It's fast and functions quite well. I can't express enough how much better the athletes liked the RP over the other two helmets. None of their responses were solicited as we were just testing the drag numbers, but it became a running joke as each athlete finished and said the same thing about the Wing.
Jim Manton / ERO Sports
We recently conducted an independent aero test on the Rudy Project Wing Aero Helmet. 2 women and 2 men tested the helmet against the Giro Aerohead Ultimate and the POC Cerebel. The results are below, and here is a link to the video. I’ll try to answer as many questions as possible, and I’ll give the AeroLab boys a heads-up that this thread is here so they can answer sensor-related questions.
A couple of notes:
We used the AeroLab AeroPro sensor for the testing. This allowed us to test outdoors on an out and back course. We’ve been using the AeroPro for some time now, and have found the results to be as accurate as any wind tunnel or velodrome testing we’ve done.
If you watch the video, please note we did not take the photos and video the same day as testing. Not a problem except the athletes were riding very easily, soft-pedaling really, and so their heads were up quite high and Athlete #4’s clothing was different. During testing, all their heads were much lower.
Each test consists of 3 out and back runs. The athletes had to get out of their position at every turnaround. This allowed us to determine if they were able to consistently repeat their position and, therefore, drag number. If the results were inconsistent, the tests were re-run. All tests were conducted at race pace. The CdA’s of the 3 runs were averaged for the final CdA.
I partly wonder if the consistency in results we saw was simply because all the athletes have very similar positions. All positions except the road bike with clip-on aero bars are aggressive with tilted forearms. Something to think about in the future.
I think our female athletes, who both wear size medium helmets, could possibly have been put in a small Aerohead and Cerebel, though I doubt they would be all that comfortable in them.
Rudy Project had no knowledge that we were conducting this test. We purchased the helmets with our own money, and did not receive compensation for this testing. Rudy Project was informed of the results once the testing was completed.
Results:
Athlete #1 – David
- Giro Aerohead Ultimate .205
- RP Wing w/vent cover .200
- RP Wing w/o vent cover .201
- POC Cerebel .197
- Giro Aerohead Ultimate .248
- RP Wing w/vent cover .232
- RP Wing w/o vent cover .239
- POC Cerebel .242
Athlete #3 – Tony
- Giro Aerohead Ultimate .229
- RP Wing w/vent cover .216
- RP Wing w/o vent cover .217
- POC Cerebel .221
Athlete #4 – Lisa
Position 1 – Road bike with Clip-On Aerobar
- Giro Aerohead Ultimate .242
- RP Wing w/vent cover .238
- POC Cerebel .244
Position #2 – TriRig Omni
- Giro Aerohead Ultimate .223
- RP Wing w/vent cover .218
- POC Cerebel .228
Interestingly, all the athletes love the Wing, and certainly preferred it over the other two helmets. All stated the helmet stayed in place better, was overall more comfortable, was easier to see out of, and it was by far the easiest to adjust as the halo dial is easily reached once on your head (watch the video).
Though these results may be a surprise to some, and were to me to a small extent, I had been given a heads-up from a World Tour team I work with that this helmet has been testing very fast on their athletes in the tunnel. I have since had athletes in the tunnel and the Wing consistently tests very fast confirming the results above. Those are not numbers I can share here.
So, it looks like Rudy Project has a winner on their hands with the Wing. It's fast and functions quite well. I can't express enough how much better the athletes liked the RP over the other two helmets. None of their responses were solicited as we were just testing the drag numbers, but it became a running joke as each athlete finished and said the same thing about the Wing.
Jim Manton / ERO Sports