I recorded the Versus coverage of the time trial and just getting to watch it. I noticed a few riders with empty water bottle cages on their bike during the ride. I’m sure that the rider who did that doesn’t expect to in the hunt for the win but wondering why that would even be on a pro’s TT bike. Talk about a fashion faux pas at the very least.
They could have had a bottle at the start and ditched it when it was empty
.
For a 10-12 minute time trial? No reason to have any water. Interesting that Bradley wiggins has a speedfill type water bottle/fairing on his felt. Quite certain there isn’t any water in it.
they probably just didn’t care since it was just a short prologue
.
more aero…really
.
more aero…really
No reason at all that an empty bottle cage (no bottle) would be more aero than without. I saw several riders that started with an empty cage.
All of the Garmin riders started with an nearly empty aero bottle on their seat tube mount. I have to believe they must have tested this in the tunnel since they were aero bottles, all of them had them, and they one’s I could see closely were nearly empty. So for all you DA owners, I’d be taking notes and doing TT’s with an aero bottle.
more aero…really
No reason at all that an empty bottle cage (no bottle) would be more aero than without. I saw several riders that started with an empty cage.
All of the Garmin riders started with an nearly empty aero bottle on their seat tube mount. I have to believe they must have tested this in the tunnel since they were aero bottles, all of them had them, and they one’s I could see closely were nearly empty. So for all you DA owners, I’d be taking notes and doing TT’s with an aero bottle.
Last year I thought their testing showed faster without. Well-no problem there. I cannot feel on my bike which is faster yet. With no windtunnel I guess I may never know.
Last year I thought their testing showed faster without. Well-no problem there. I cannot feel on my bike which is faster yet. With no windtunnel I guess I may never know.
Who says you need a wind tunnel to figure that out? 
Last year I thought their testing showed faster without. Well-no problem there. I cannot feel on my bike which is faster yet. With no windtunnel I guess I may never know.
Who says you need a wind tunnel to figure that out?
True, true. Barely a flat road or windless day or tunnel either!! I suppose those arent very good excuses either, eh? Someday I will do a true aero test! If nothing else for the experience of it and crunching the numbers.
Last year I thought their testing showed faster without. Well-no problem there. I cannot feel on my bike which is faster yet. With no windtunnel I guess I may never know.
Who says you need a wind tunnel to figure that out?
True, true. Barely a flat road or windless day or tunnel either!! I suppose those arent very good excuses either, eh? Someday I will do a true aero test! If nothing else for the experience of it and crunching the numbers.
Nope…doesn’t need to be flat, or completely windless either… 
There actually were findings from testing of various set ups on a track a few years back that showed a bike was more aero with bottle than without. Don’t ask me to find it though. It was probably 5+ years ago I read it.
yea yea we know you have an iAero ok…!!
yea yea we know you have an iAero ok…!!
Not any more…but, that doesn’t change my answer
.
yea yea we know you have an iAero ok…!!
Don’t need an iAero, either.
There actually were findings from testing of various set ups on a track a few years back that showed a bike was more aero with bottle than without. Don’t ask me to find it though. It was probably 5+ years ago I read it.
You might want to find it and re-read it anyway…since I think you might be making a pretty sweeping generalization based on that memory…
There actually were findings from testing of various set ups on a track a few years back that showed a bike was more aero with bottle than without. Don’t ask me to find it though. It was probably 5+ years ago I read it.
The OP was asking about empty water bottle cages.
In any case, I think it would be an error to assume those test results apply to all frame designs.
It would seem like any rider would want a bottle handy during whatever warmup they did right before the start so that is probably why the cage is on the bike in the first place, even if the race was only 9K. Why they didn’t get a mechanic to take 10 seconds to take the cage off before the start it another matter but it sounds like an empty cage has almost no affect anyway so maybe that’s the reason.
Hello Goalout and All,
http://www.analyticcycling.com/RiderAeroStudy.html
John Cobb has done studies of the aerodynamic drag on riders. The data from one of his studies, dated January 11, 2000, is analyzed here.
Conclusions: Keep the jersey zipper zipped. Ride on the drops. Keep your drink bottles on the frame. Carrying a drink bottle is better than not. Wear an Aeropak under the jersey but better yet, keep the bottles on the frame. Placement of aerobars is highly dependent on the rider.
That said I have seen some info (which I cannot find right now) that an Aero Speed Bottle mounted on a P3C where the P4 has the bottle improves the over all bicycle drag.
Cheers,
Neal
yeah but for the third time the question is about people with bottle CAGES on the frame with no bottle.
annnd, cobb’s data there did not apply to all bikes
Hello Goalout and All,
http://www.analyticcycling.com/RiderAeroStudy.html
John Cobb has done studies of the aerodynamic drag on riders. The data from one of his studies, dated January 11, 2000, is analyzed here.
Conclusions: Keep the jersey zipper zipped. Ride on the drops. Keep your drink bottles on the frame. Carrying a drink bottle is better than not. Wear an Aeropak under the jersey but better yet, keep the bottles on the frame. Placement of aerobars is highly dependent on the rider.
That said I have seen some info (which I cannot find right now) that an Aero Speed Bottle mounted on a P3C where the P4 has the bottle improves the over all bicycle drag.
Cheers,
Neal