round tubes or aero?
rock
Aero tubes??? Please explain to me. I think I must be before old school.
Is this question regarding frame design; round tubing versus flat/aero tubing???
Aero tubes ARE old school. I remember a very old italian steed that went to the trouble of making their own aero levers, drilling the handlebars for internal routing, internal brake and shift cables, and aero tubing so thin that the seat tube had it’s own dedicated (and very, very heavy) seat post. This was in the early '80s. I have even seen an aero bike from the '70s, believe it or not.
I had an Andy Gilmore from the late '80s with this tubing (bought second-hand), but he did not have the faith to internally route the shift cables, he instead did another popular solution to hide the shift cables in the wind- the top of the downtube-routed cables, with the shift bosses on a piece of flat steel stock. It was a 67cm frame with a 54cm effective top tube, maybe even less. It had a 17cm tall head tube, and it took 24" front wheels. It weighed about 25 lbs, even with my 475 gr front wheel, a Sun Mistral twelve spoke with American Classic hub and 160 gram pursuit bars (Aerosports carbon).
Look at the '84 Los Angeles bikes from Team USA- teardrop-shaped tubes, even down to the seatposts and very funky pursuit bars. The road bikes even had the aero shapes.
So, is aero old school? It depends on your definition of old school. I was cutting my teeth on bikes when all of the aero stuff from the '80s came out. Now, if you’re from the Merckx or Anquetil or Coppi era, then round tubes are old school to you.
But my old steel aero bikes (I have had a few) were heavier than comparable round tubing. I think this is where the aero bikes kind of fell out of favour, as the riders like it lighter even then. I don’t think aero tubesets were butted, and the seat tubes required their own very heavy seat posts (the post from my Andy Gilmore weighed two and a half pounds! It was not that great of a seat post, either), and a few felt like they were pretty gimmicky. Oh yeah, I forgot one thing- they were bloody expensive!!!
Add to this: Hooker was probably the one who revived the aero tubing, and they did it at a reasonable weight. They probably made it more aero than any of the earler flattened tubing.
In 1996, only a fewbikes had aero tubes. In '99, half of the tri and TT bikes had some aero tubing, and I think now, 75% or higher do. Interestingly enough, our very own Dan Empfield did not originally like the aero down tubes when the craze started back in the mid '90s. I think aero tubes are here to stay for quite awhile. I still say that the fastest bike is under the fastest rider of the day.
It sure is hard to sell a tri bike with round tubes.
It is easier to sell a tri bike with aero tubes. Those things I know for a fact.
Most people think that the aero tubing will pedal the bike for you.
tom d notes: “It sure is hard to sell a tri bike with round tubes.”
check it out. for years b lindquist has been totally kicking ass and taking names on a steel round tubed bike. even in ITU drafting events, she generally solo’d off the front on the thing, despite all that horrific turbulence those little round tubes were causing beneath her. all to the collective yawn of the tri-bike purchasing public. now she is on a felt, and naturally there will be all manner of hooha about how the incredible aero shaped wonderbike assists her in slaying all comers. ho-hum. people want aeroplane wing shaped tubes on their expensive welded aluminum tri-bikes. who knows why?
Barb’s bike still has round tubes- further reinforcing your point. Round tubes are pretty darn good. So is her new Felt.
Thorn steel frame (It ain’t round or areo) and a mix of old parts but 9 speeds 22.5 lbs with spair tubbie and H2O holders and stuff.So I must be keepin up NO ? Green is the fastest color.