I just got a Scott Foil and came from a Blue Rd.1. I was wondering how much time I should expect to save over a 20k and a 40k?
Before
After:
I would imagine the aerodynamic advantage of the scott vs the blue frames is virtually imperceptible, particularly once you throw in all the race day variables like crosswind, legal drafting, road conditions, elevation change, etc. *I take this part of the post back. I was assuming the blue was an aero bike, not round tubed, which it seems to be. See jackmott’s post below regarding aero advantage of frames.
Where you may have made a significant gain, though, could be in your position. Are you lower on the scott than the blue? Getting your body in a more aero position could save real time, assuming there’s no loss of power.
To be honest, the way your seat is setback, while also on a setback seatpost, seems like a less than ideal position for triathlon. But maybe not for you.
Nice looking ride. Enjoy it!
I have not been fit yet on the Scott but I know that my front end was dropped 3 cm and it is a ton more aggressive.
That may or may not be a good thing for you. It all depends.
I don’t think anyone can give you an answer based solely on the pictures. I’d assume the Scott is the faster bike - but not by a ton (or a huge significant amount). If it gets you in a better position, it’ll definitely be faster …but being super low means nothing if you can’t generate the power to use that aero advantage.
It looks like you have a clip-on mounted on the first bike but not on the second. Thus, you are comparing apples to oranges.
how much stronger does the new bike make you??
5 and 10 minutes respectively
.
I am switching my aero bars over today.
I rode it yesterday but the saddle bolt wasn’t tightened so I rode with the saddle tilted down and that was very uncomfortable so I dont know yet. I was able to hang with a group that I usually get dropped within the first few miles though.
Scroll down to page 20 of the Cervelo Rca white paper which has a chart that lets us make an educated guess:
From there you can see around 100 grams of drag saved for an Rca with rider aboard compared to most round tube frames, depending on the yaw angle.
It is reasonable to assume that the Scott Foil will be a similar improvement. So let us a guess a range of 50 to 100 grams of drag saved over your old bike, as long as component choices don’t undo some of the frame improvements.
That would imply 20 to 40 seconds saved per 40k of flat, non technical road. (best case scenario)
The foil may also be lighter, giving you some time savings up uphills as well.
This degree of advantage, while nice to have, is not likely something you will notice riding around with people. Your position change might be noticeable however, assuming it was an aero improvement and that you don’t just bend your elbows less and end up in the same position.
Would you consider that blue as a typical round-tubed bike? I thought blue always made an effort to airfoil their frames, no?
The picture is dark but I see no evidence of it on that particular frame. It has external cables and everything.
Would you consider that blue as a typical round-tubed bike? I thought blue always made an effort to airfoil their frames, no?
I would say that if you can ride in the drops of the new bike then you could see some time savings. However, if the new bike has a compact chain rings and a large cassette, that gear combo will slow you down and put you at a disadvantage with riders that have the leg muscle to spin big gears.
Yea, looks like it’s a typical round tube bike, take back my previous post. I Was thinking blue only made aero frames.
Defer to you regarding time saving. My mistake.
The picture is dark but I see no evidence of it on that particular frame. It has external cables and everything.
Would you consider that blue as a typical round-tubed bike? I thought blue always made an effort to airfoil their frames, no?