Originally Posted by
alan s
52 miles RT, 22 of which are in the car and 30 on the bike.
A marginal benefit would be something that reduces safety or comfort for a small gain in efficiency. Fenders are a good example. I ride with them every day, and they are not aerodynamically efficient at all, but they add great comfort to my commute. Case in point, yesterday there was a late day thunderstorm. The MUP was still wet after the storm passed. I was able to ride without getting wet or dirty and was very comfortable. While fenders slow me down, the benefit of staying dry and clean far outweighs any small gain in efficiency.
So we don't have the same commute. At I used to do a 33 miles RT commute with just my MTB with slick tires and that was fine with the upright position and all. But 60 miles RT was getting a bit much with with the MTB. I also have fenders (crud racer) on my current road bike commuter and it has no effect on the aerodynamic.