Hi all,
Will an aero helmet make me faster on the bike? My 70.3 bike speed is about 19-20 mph…Is it worth it to purchase this? Already have Zipp race wheels, etc.
Thanks!
KK
Absolutely. An aero helmet is probably the best bang for your buck speed upgrade. Choosing the right one depends on your position, ability to keep your head down, and desire of ventilation.
classic article you can read here:
http://cyclingtips.com.au/2010/04/biggest-bang-for-your-buck-in-time-trial-equipment/
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yep.
Withou a doubt. A giro advantage 2 is about 100 bucks on amazon. It makes a big difference. IMHO a road bike with clip one and aerohelmet is a lot faster than expensive tri bike with bike helmet. In fact I think bikeradar.com has a study showing this.
The interesting thing with this is the time savings for a skinsuit, but no-one seems to bother to wear them in triathlon. On this article it would be about a 10 min saving for an IM, if you could ride at 48 kmh! Even if it took you 2 min each to get it on and off you’d be way in front. Are trisuits more aero than cycling gear, or are the shinsuits too hot?
Aero helmet–worth it?
only you can decide what is valuable and not valuable
but if you are trying to increase your speed in a triathlon bike split by spending $$$ an aero helmet gives pretty high ROI
.
Absolutely. An aero helmet is probably the best bang for your buck speed upgrade. Choosing the right one depends on your position, ability to keep your head down, and desire of ventilation.
^^^^This.
An aero helmet will save more than a Zipp wheel at a fraction of the cost. The only bigger ROIs are aerobars and wetsuits.
FWIW, I’m a fan of the Rudy Wingspan (and the upcoming 57) since they are fairly forgiving of head position and ventilation is adjustable. There always a sale/discount code, so you can get them for ~$150 new.
I got the GIRO air attack last month. Pretty neat, hot in very HOT conditions… but im still thinking of I should get the sperm helmet (wingspan, advantage 2)… what do you think guys?
I got the GIRO air attack last month. Pretty neat, hot in very HOT conditions… but im still thinking of I should get the sperm helmet (wingspan, advantage 2)… what do you think guys?
Per Giro’s own testing, the AA is about 1/2 way between the Aeon and the Selector (which tests barely faster then the A2). There’s still some significant gain to be had by getting a full aero helmet.
https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/983623_569668669751872_1195848210_n.jpg
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-prn2/251007_569668659751873_240128526_n.jpg
http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/new-bike-gear-previews/giro-unveils-air-attack?page=0,1
nice! great info graphic.
Prolly, be trying out wingspan or lazer soon. Im just new to tri so getting familiar with all aero stuffs. Thanks!
The interesting thing with this is the time savings for a skinsuit, but no-one seems to bother to wear them in triathlon. On this article it would be about a 10 min saving for an IM, if you could ride at 48 kmh! Even if it took you 2 min each to get it on and off you’d be way in front. Are trisuits more aero than cycling gear, or are the shinsuits too hot?
I think that’s what the lift foil from Desoto is like, although you can wear it the whole time. I know I saw a tri-talk wind tunnel post about how that suit was by far the fastest for David Warden.
The interesting thing with this is the time savings for a skinsuit, but no-one seems to bother to wear them in triathlon. On this article it would be about a 10 min saving for an IM, if you could ride at 48 kmh! Even if it took you 2 min each to get it on and off you’d be way in front. Are trisuits more aero than cycling gear, or are the shinsuits too hot?
I think that’s what the lift foil from Desoto is like, although you can wear it the whole time. I know I saw a tri-talk wind tunnel post about how that suit was by far the fastest for David Warden.
The 10min saving might be to a standard road kit. I would think that wearing a tight fitting tri suit would close alot of that 10min savings.
I know he tested another desoto one piece (that unused to have) and it was horrible.
I won’t get involved in the technical aspects of this question but I’ll give my experience as someone who debated this for a long while then finally bought one.
I found a Bell Javelin online for $125 so I went for it. I wore it for the Raleigh HIM in early June. I was pleasantly surprised. I had been worried if my aero position was unsteady enough that I would be doing more harm than good (looking down and around). I had no problems keeping a nice position where I could feel the tail brushing the middle of my back. I had also been worried about heat but despite a 90 degree day I didn’t feel that the aero helmet was noticeably hotter than my road helmet. I really liked the visor. My sunglasses usually become a sweaty mess but the visor remained nice and clean. Finally, I felt faster. Obviously, this is incredibly subjective and maybe it was just that I knew I was wearing the helmet but since the helmet was comfortable and not overly expensive I’m glad I got it.
There always a sale/discount code, so you can get them for ~$150 new.
anyone have a code for a Wingspan Helmet?
runrudyrun gets you 25% off. I’ve seen better discounts over time.
They were giving them away to AGers at Kona, so maybe there are some in ST classifieds and eBay.
If you already thought that Zipp race wheels are worth it, then most certainly an aero helmet is also worth it for you. Unless you bought the Zipp wheels purely for looks…not that there’s anything wrong with that.