I know that any discussion about aerodynamics tends to get a little heated around here but I will ask this anyway. At what point in a triathletes life if you will should he/she start getting concerned about aerodynamics and aero equipments? To put it another way, what level/skills should a person have mastered before addressing aero concerns becomes more important than other matters. Is it determined by a person’s speed? Weight/body fat percentage? Length of course? Or something else?
What would be the best aero progression (i.e. from a standard road bike/kit all the way to full on aero equipments)? What order would you add things? How would you rank aero equipment when considering most bang for your buck? What about for most time saved?
How does one determine if a piece of aero equipment helps them be more aero but has adverse side effects (i.e. as Sutton mentions regarding aero helmets raising core temp)?
The cycling power required for any velocity can be predicted based on a mathematical equation. In general, the slower the rider, the more improvement he/she can expect from improved aerodynamics. The main take-home message to be learned from this discussion is that the biggest changes in aerodynamic drag and in cycling performance come from changes in body position, which can improve 40k time by over 6 minutes. An excellent position on a regular bike with regular wheels will allow you to out perform a rider with a typical position on an aero bike with aero wheels by 3 to 4 minutes. Aero wheels can reduce drag by about 0.4 lb. and will reduce your 40k time by about 1 to 2 minutes. An aero frame can reduce drag an additional 0.3 lb. and save you about an additional minute. The effects of bicycle weight, even on a tough climbing course are minimal compared with the effects of aerodynamics. Finally, windy conditions slow you down because you spend more time in the headwind than you do in the tailwind, and consequently, the effects of headwind and tailwind don’t ‘average out’.
When you can average over 18 mph for 40K then it’s time to start looking at aero equipment. This is the order I prefer.
Tri bike: This is the base of any good TT
Wheels: Dependable aero wheels and tires for speed as well as confidence
Helmet: You may get more bang for you buck out of an aero helmet than wheels but I don’t feel that some aero helmets are as safe as regular road helmets.
You will get more “opinions” than “answers” on this topic. Aero basics are a proper aero fit and positioning. That will make the biggest difference, at a relatively little cost since you have to have a bike anyway. After that, comes an at least three part analysis that includes economic aability/tolerance, personal desires/preferences, and importance of marginal speed - probaly in some combination, but in that order. You can get opinions, or even scientific facts, all day long but that is what it comes down to.
When you can average over 18 mph for 40K then it’s time to start looking at aero equipment. This is the order I prefer.
Tri bike: This is the base of any good TT
Wheels: Dependable aero wheels and tires for speed as well as confidence
Helmet: You may get more bang for you buck out of an aero helmet than wheels but I don’t feel that some aero helmets are as safe as regular road helmets.
jaretj
A lot of people are going to disagree with jaretj, but I agree nearly 100%. Only thing I might up is the mph average, but that’s nit-picking.
You can get opinions, or even scientific facts, all day long but that is what it comes down to.
There’s a possible untapped data set amongst the posters here that might help to answer the question: for those who own both a road bike and a tri bike, how much speed difference do you have over the same routes?
In my case, I’m about 1 mph faster on the tri bike on flatter routes, and about 1/2 mph faster on the tri bike even on hilly routes. The speed difference in my training rides seems to hold true for pretty much all levels of effort. I’m a guy who’s not super fast by ST standards - last two races, my bike splits were a touch under 20 mph.
I don’t think there is any mastery level where you are allowed to now think about aerodynamics. You hinted at it in your second post. There is a greater advantage in total seconds gained for a slower rider going ‘aero’ than for a faster rider.
So the answer is that you can think about aerodynamics as soon as your personal commitment to going faster on the bike exceeds your desire to hold on to your hard earned cash.
Some people will rag a slower rider for having nice equipment, but there is still someone out there just as much better than they are who can rag them too.
I personally won’t ever look down on someone who has decided they love the sport enough to invest in top notch gear, regardless of how fast they actually are.
To put it another way, what level/skills should a person have mastered before addressing aero concerns becomes more important than other matters.
It’s not related to skill, it’s related to disposable income.
‘Other matters’ are training and talent-related. They exist in a different universe than the aero concerns.
The only time you get into calculus involving both is if you start to weigh training time against time earning money to pay for aero concerns against time earning money to pay for quality coaching. (IE - 2 extra hours per week of training for three months or two extra hours per week for three months to pay for aero wheels, etc.)
Some people are answering a different question. They are answering the question of “At what point do aerodynamics really make you faster?” and that is simple to answer. At all points it makes you faster.
When that extra speed quantifies something that matters…well…thats up to you i suppose. Personally, i don’t have any aero gear, but i don’t think having it at this point is going to make a real difference in my racing. I’ll still be trying to get top 3 in my AG…i don’t think wheels/helmet/frame will propel me to no.1 at this point and ill still be getting lots of 3rds 2nds and 4ths.
It’ll be nice to have the money in a couple of years to go all out on a tri rig though. I’m sure by then i can think of a reason that it’ll matters
Whenever you desire to get faster is the time to consider aerodynamics. There was an article in the Apr 08 issue of Triathlete mag that did a cost-benefit analysis for upgrades- some may not agree with everything in the article but it had some good info none the less.
Personally, before this race season, I upgraded to a tighter tri top, LG Chrono helmet, used front aero wheel (HED CX 60) instead of Mavic CXP 33, Wheelbuilder cover and a slightly lower front end position. Total spent on all the upgrades was under $500. I am riding a TitanFlex Transition with drop bars and Syntace C2 clip-ons.
In my one repeat race from 07 I was 3 minutes faster over 13 miles on the bike with considerably less training. Conditions were nearly identical. Hard to tell what upgrade had the most profound effect but for less than the cost of one new aero wheel I was more than happy with a 3 minute improvement.
Effective training is the most important factor in getting faster but for the time crunched athlete you can buy speed.
That’s a lotta questions, and you’re getting a lot of good answers. I can’t help adding my own:
Start doing it when you’re sure you’re committed to the sport (or activity, or whatever.) I didn’t justify it till after my first IM. Long after my first IM. Actually, I didn’t get a tri bike till my wonderful girlfriend and family got one for me. I love it, and it’s clearly made the biggest difference in speed of anything I’ve gotten on. I love cycling in general, so it’s not a surprise to me, but I wasn’t sure I liked tri enough more than road biking to get my own tri bike until this year. I think this is the same sort of answer that the people telling you it’s pased on disposable income are giving: do it when you feel like spending your hard-earned scratch on this sport, to the exclusion of others.
Best aero gain, as others have said, is clearly road bike to well fitted tri bike. The fitting part is super important. If you’re going to spend roughly 2 grand (maybe more, but hardly less) on a bike, why not spend $200 getting fit? As Tom D. says, shop around for a shop first, and they can help you with that. If you do dive in for a tri bike, make sure you ride in the aero position!
Next in terms of gains come wheels… but they’re also the absolute worst in terms of bang for buck. A helmet is nearly as good as wheels in terms of time savings, and costs so much less it’s worth getting if you care about speed. Same with a nice tight skinsuit.
Adverse effects: don’t think there really are serious ones. Most of them are just a matter of getting used to something different. Handling on a tri bike is harder than handling on a road bike, so you want to be a relatively confident cyclist, and pratice riding in the aero position a lot if you’re planning to get one. Aero wheels will knock you around more in a gusty crosswind, but if you really are, ahem, larger, you don’t have to worry about that. Aero helmets overheating you: I don’t think this is a serious concern. I rode an aero helmet at Auburn this year, with unseasonably hot temps, and I didn’t overheat. In fact I never felt particularly hot (it helps that I sweat profusely.) As far as safety, just make sure you get one that’s certified in the US, and it should be every bit as safe as a road helmet. You need a US-legal one for USAT races anyway.
When you can average over 18 mph for 40K then it’s time to start looking at aero equipment. This is the order I prefer.
Tri bike: This is the base of any good TT
Wheels: Dependable aero wheels and tires for speed as well as confidence
Helmet: You may get more bang for you buck out of an aero helmet than wheels but I don’t feel that some aero helmets are as safe as regular road helmets.
jaretj
Take a look at a website found relating to the very questions. Am not sure of their authority, but they are able to place time variables to various aerodynamic components equipment. Very interesting.
As others have said - aerodynamics benefits everyone. If you can afford the aero stuff and a good bike fit, do it all as soon as $$ allows.
On another note…why do people say that to save 2-3 minutes, and you can only save that with a $$ purchase, if it gets you an AG win? If I’m 23rd in my age group and I spend money on aero stuff, gain 2-3 minutes and then take 19th place…I’ve gained 3 minutes off MY time and gained another 4 places. Heck there’s lots of people out there that will NEVER come close to an AG win even with tons of training and the best aero gear and position. I love it when they decide that the aero stuff and fit help themself compete against themself.
At my age, ancient, I compete against ME, and I also place alot in the top 3 in my AG. If all my gear gets me to MY fastest…then thats what I do!! Why would you not want to be as fast as YOU can be with the equipment that is available. If you’re not running the fastest stuff, then you’re hurting your own race.
I missed out on money in a race earlier this year by 16 seconds in a sprint race. They paid the top 5 overall and I was 6th (second in my AG). Aero stuff counts…buy it and use it!!
Short answer: Aerodynamics becomes important at any moment when you decide you want to beat somebody else (read: not necessarily win the race). Back when I started in '94, I knew I didn’t have a chance in he!! to ever win a tri - but if I could maximize my equipment advantage and beat up on my friends…then it was ALL worth it
It all comes down to the reason you race. We did it for bragging rights within our group
I may be remembering incorrectly, but I think the September '06 Bicycling had an interview with the MIT team that won the NCAA Team Time Trial. I believe they said that an aero helmet saved more time in a 40k than an aero front wheel. Not just more bang for the buck, but more bang, period.
There were other nice suggestions, too. No gloves, take off your watch… Worth the read if you can find the article.
