Which aerodynamic focus should I work on or buy next?
In the second part of this article, Coach Alan focusses not on what you can do but on what you can buy to become the most aerodynamic thing on two wheels! Read on about how you can purchase your way to better aerodynamics.
In my last article, I wrote about how you make the most of what you have got in terms of equipment, how you can coach yourself to reduce your CdA. As much as the 80:20 rule of the rider to bike drag rule is true (most of the drag is the rider, not the bike), that 20% still counts and really importantly it can affect the 80% and also another really crucial part of an athletes performance, your brain!
Look good, feel good, go fast!
It’s a rule that rings so true if you truly #believestriveachieve you will go faster.
In short, fast tyres and aero-testing are the way forward. You can read more about why that approach is the best by reading Coach Sorrels’ blog here. You might feel fast but in reality, the £300 aero helmet you think you upgraded to is actually slowing you down! But there are still areas of more significant and less significant effect. Therefore, I will try to approach this from the ground up and try to sequence things for you. That way, everybody looking at this can work out where they lie on that spectrum and act accordingly.
The entry point into triathlon participation is a basic road bike, tri suit, road helmet, cycling shoes and a number belt. So, from here, where should you look to focus?
Reduce any unnecessary clutter on the bike and clean it is always rule number one.
Elbows in and elbows bent to lower your position. You could even go the extreme of buying a set of Speeco ABB bars, which are specifically designed to put you into an aero breakaway position. For those of you wishing to drop the pack in draft-legal racing, these may of interest to you, but you need to consider how your handling may be affected.
A better fitting tri suit or sleeved tri suit with aero fabric arms may be the next step—Tri Training Harder partner with Orca who at the extreme produce the Dream Kona aero race suit. You might think I’m dreaming when you see the cost and others are available, and it is important to remember that the one that fits you best may outperform the one with a better marketing strategy.
A more aerodynamic road helmet may be the next best choice. Although there may be some difference in performance based on your individual rider profile between aero road helmets, it will be a step up from a basic helmet. The Specialized Evade has consistently performed well in this department.
After this stage, the normal step would be clip-on aero bars. The narrowing of your profile into the wind has been proven to make a significant impact on your CdA, and they are a worthwhile investment. Importantly, they also act as a bridging point in terms of developing sound bike handling and confidence in a new position whilst still with some relative comfort of being on the same bike you are experienced with before making the next big step.
TT Bike with shallow wheels. Why shallow wheels? Well, anything up to around 40mm if you have already practised with the clip-on bars on a road bike shouldn’t feel like too large a leap. However jumping to deeper sections at the same time may prove quite challenging in terms of confidence, comfort and your ability to ride in a straight line and use your equipment effectively. Race wheels bought with a bike could be temporarily swapped out for training wheels with next to no depth as a stepping stone. The new position alone is a significant step and the start of a process of gradual learning and refinement of your position. Each new rider should take the time to master moving from extension poles to hoods and back and forward swiftly from a relaxed and comfortable position.
TT bike and full aero set up. TT Bikes or frames are all similar in their aero performance. It is more about what you gain from yourself as the rider in an aero position. The fascinating tech is beyond the frame and forks and more in the small things you can change to tweak yourself. This mainly focusses on all of the contact points: saddles, pedals and handlebars. Extension poles particularly are seeing more and more interest with the superstars in Frodeno, Charles, Lange (See Project 101), McNamee and Kienle all having custom scanned, tested and manufactured extension poles. But you don’t have to an ubër triathlete or biker to own them companies like WattShop, AeroCoach, Radsport-Ibert and SpeedBar all manufacture them. Armrests or elbow rests/cups are all becoming more refined as we focus more and more on what the bike allows the rider to achieve in terms of position and the subsequent effect that the equipment has on airflow over the rider.
But to buy any of these, you first need to have your position totally dialled in. I can therefore complete the circle and say if you really want to spend your money wisely the end of the road is not 2021’s new bike, it’s at the velodrome or in the wind tunnel that you will find your big drag reductions. If that’s a step too far, working with a bike fitter who is very specifically experienced in time trialling and aerodynamics may be a good intermediate step and open the door to improved aerodynamics.
Alan has worked with Tri Training Harder since 2014. During this time working with a wide spectrum of athletes from beginner, to youth and junior elite athletes through to 70.3 and Ironman AG winners and Ironman Kona Qualifiers.
An active Triathlon coach since 2007 Alan has been fortunate enough to work with athletes, peers and support staff who have continutally challenged him to evolve and develop. Building on a solid foundation in swimming teaching, Alan has specifically developed swimming coaching experience having worked in High Performance Swimming environments. Alan's other passion is all things fast on a bicycle!
Since 2015 Alan has worked in conjunction with the other Tri Training Harder Coaches to significantly develop collective coaching practice both on camp and online.
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