Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
Shave your legs? The jury's out on whether this makes any difference at all, but let's
face it - flash bike, flash kit, hairy legs... wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong!
Going out and buying new bike bling is great - especially when each year brings new and
more aerodynamic equipment. But the cheapest way to get aero on a road bike is a set of
clip-on aero bars. They'll allow you to get in the right position on a standard road bike,
potentially saving a couple of minutes over a 40km time trial.
Don't ride on the drops? Gerard Vroomen, founder of Cervelo, clearly knows a thing or two about
aerodynamics. He reckons that straight arms in the drops
cause more resistance than bent arms on the hoods. Again, watch how the pros do it: arms
at 90 degrees, body nice and low, back flat.
Tuck your elbows in - and your knees. In fact, don't just do that, get your whole position
looked at. There's no point dropping thousands on the latest carbon wheels if your position
is terrible.
A good position on the bike will save heaps of watts in power output. For good examples,
look no further than Messrs Wiggins, Cancellara and Martin.
Don't forget your feet! Most cycling shoes have masses of straps, buckles and other uneven
surfaces - all of them catch the wind.
Simple solution is to cover up with an aero overshoe. British time-trial champion Alex
Dowsett takes overshoes to a whole new level.
Skinsuits: no they're not just for lycra fetishists. Racing kit has been getting tighter and tighter
and skinsuits have started creeping into regular road races as well. There's no doubt a skinsuit
will make you more slippery through the air, but with no pockets, where are you supposed
to put your banana?
Wearing gloves in a time trial will slow you down more than a non-aero front wheel.
Gloves are also getting more aero: look closely at the top pros' hands: aero mitts are fitted
and extend well beyond the wrist. Just watch out for the silly tan lines if you go down
this route!
Having a water bottle on your seat tube is more aero than not having one at all, and
significantly more aero than having one on your downtube.
Then again, the likes of Bradley Wiggins, world champ Tony Martin and Fabian Cancellara
don't always bother: but not all of us mere mortals have got the horsepower they do.
How you put your race numbers on matters more than what wheels you're riding.
Watch the pros in races - do you see their race numbers flapping about? No! Because flappy
race numbers catch the wind - like racing into the wind with a sail pulling you back.
A non aero helmet causes four times the drag of an aero wheelset.
An aero helmet is only an eighth of the price of some wheels.
But you can't wear a time trial helmet in a road race. Aero road helmets are starting
to catch on in the pro peloton, but the jury's out on whether they look good!
For more videos like this, go to www.youtube.com/gcn and subscribe now for free.