I was able to get in the tunnel again with John Cobb this past week to test his new Wilier TT Bike. The bike definitely has a low drag number. The bikes are due for next year. We also tested a couple of new wheel designs and with a little more work they too will be fast. You can check out more pictures on www.johncobbresearch.com. Thanks to John and Angelo for the invite.
Not that it makes much of a difference to me, but do you have those drag #'s?
What what what?!!? you don’t like blatant advertising and name dropping? But this is truth.
Scholars maintain that anything with John Cobb’s name on it is the fastest thing in the universe. As other bikes approach the aero-ness velocity JC, which everyone knows is the constant ‘John Cobb’, a near infinite number measured in dollars/coefficients of drag, the L and M corrections must be factored in. Where L and M are the lawyer and marketing variables, respectively, as measured in dollars.
No really, it’s science.
Did you really expect a warm welcome with that post? Without numbers and comparisons it means nothing. I’m pretty sure I could see this same info in a magazine with a better picture, I believe they are called advertisements.
BTW, no ill will towards John Cobb or Wilier, just the direction of the first post.
Numbers are good to know, I am just thankful I was invited to the test. The bike did test fast and was actually tested. Best of all I have the bike to ride for a couple of days. Have a good one.
does anybody know how wide the downtube is (in mm) of this bike, somewhere near the middle of the downtube ?
The measurement below the W (drive side) on the down tube is 27.3mm.
that’s not bad.
does it stay that narrow for most of the downtube ?
any idea what the target price (msrp) will be for the frameset ?
and thanks for the info…
Stewart,
I appreciate all the work you put into your wind tunnel research, but there must have been some problem or calibration error. I regret that I have to be the one to tell you that no bike that ugly could possibly be fast.
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
LOL, that last comment is funny about ugly being fast, or not. This is such a fun place to visit when I want a good laugh. What is the hang up with everyone being so obsesed with the downtube width?, when you look at the size of people’s thighs, knees and calves, it dwarfs the width of the downtube. Last time I checked a human’s legs were not very aerodynamic.
From my understanding, it will be a little under $5,000.
Either way, I think it is one awesome looking bike.
What is the hang up with everyone being so obsesed with the downtube width?
so true, just look at a scott plasma, you could see the scott designers didn’t think tube sizes or frontal area made any difference at all, heck the downtube is a huge 45 mm wide. and why stop there, i say make 'em 145 mm wide !
$5k for the bike, or just the frameset ?
Well 145mm might be a bit much…lol, I love how everyone has certain things that get them going but this one seems to be the most common one, I thought the shape of the downtube was what mattered the most, not always just the width. In the end it will always be the strongest rider, swimmer, runner that goes the fastest, it is never the make of the bike, just look at any race result.
I thought the shape of the downtube was what mattered the most, not always just the width.
actually, both matter a lot.
and the frontal area of the rider also matters a lot, obviously much more than the frame (but that doesn’t mean the frame and wheels don’t matter at all, because they do). and a rider with a more aero position and/or narrower legs will, all other things being equal, be significantly faster than a rider with a less aero position and/or bigger legs. size does matter.
Frameset,
I’ve also heard it could be around 4,400. But you never know. We’re gona have to wait and see what it comes out as.
I think those first couple pictures definately show that an aero helmet, even with the tail up, has a much smoother air flow over the back than the non aero helmet!
MSRP for the frameset $4399
.
Greg,
Perhaps John Cobb can get on here to explain the design even further, but from what I saw in person at Interbike, the whole bike was pretty dang narrow (which even the average rider could tell by looking at various frames). However, I think certain areas get wider on the downtube for specific regions (I think John mentioned slapping clay on the proto in the wind tunnel to help redirect air flow).
On a side note, the bike wouldn’t be so ugly if John would add some color matching graphics to his wheels, or tell the guys at Wilier he needs a frame in a black, yellow, and gray paint scheme 
(alas, it is a funky looking frame but pretty cool when seen in person - nothing a kick a$$ custom paint job couldn’t take care of…)
The photo of the bike on the Wilier website is with Campy Boras and different aerobars, and it looks MUCH better…
Greg,
Perhaps John Cobb can get on here to explain the design even further, but from what I saw in person at Interbike, the whole bike was pretty dang narrow (which even the average rider could tell by looking at various frames). However, I think certain areas get wider on the downtube for specific regions (I think John mentioned slapping clay on the proto in the wind tunnel to help redirect air flow).
I find it interesting how the Lotus-like bump on the head tube is recapitulated not only on the downtube (albeit oriented differently, presumably due to the way air leaves the front wheel), but also on the seat tube.