Originally Posted by
meanwhile
But can you 2% extra out of a CF frame? That 2% I gave was for a steep climb. Are there any steep climbs that last 1200km?
Optimizing tyres otoh can quite credibly give you a +10% performance boost:
Bicycle Quarterly: Performance of Tires | Off The Beaten Path
This is true, but it's a small part of long distance cycling - you're looking at reducing, say, 1% of energy use by 2%. You'd be better off shaving your eyebrows before the race to be more aero.
Let them: by the time they get here aerobrow will be the hottest thing in cycling and they'll beg be for a piece of the action...
If you trademark aerobrow before they do, you could go them a fortune if they use it.
Of course, we are back where I started with the difference in speed on a bike with a full one-litre water bottle, and without it on board. It's not really going to make any difference, especially if there are other factors at play, such as emotional outlook, rehydration and refuelling, and weather.