Originally Posted by
grolby
+1000. Personally, I find the suggestion that no one who is not in the hunt for a race podium "should" care about speed distasteful, even insulting. Isn't it up to an individual to decide what matters to them, whether or not they should set goals for improvement and how they go about achieving that improvement?
I will absolutely be the first person to say that the benefits of frame aerodynamics are small, that the bang-for-buck you get with an aero frame is even smaller and that there is no need to be anxious about whether your bike is fast enough when there is still lots of low-hanging fruit to go after first. I'm a bike racer myself, with a skinny-tube steel bike and 30mm alloy wheels, it's not like I'm going out to equip myself with the latest and greatest aero gear. I have other priorities and a tight budget besides. But, to the question of whether frame aerodynamics make a difference (and whether that difference can be measured reliably in a wind tunnel), the answer is an unequivocal YES. Is it really so hard to hold more than one thought on a subject in your head at once?
Personally, I post in these threads hoping people will simply get a more realistic view of what gains aero drag and weight reductions might garner. If somebody fully understands what returns they are likely to see on their investment and want to buy a new frame or wheels anyway I am happy for them.
But it is not uncommon for somebody to start a thread who has just bought a new bike or some other expensive upgrade and is wondering why they don't notice much if any difference. Many of those people appear to have been caught up in forum and/or marketing hype. And in case one them happens to read this thread or one like it before "pulling the trigger", I think it might be beneficial for them to see some realistic info on what is actually on offer and see some opinion on how it might play in to there specific wants and needs. They might even see that there may be an easier or cheaper way to accomplish their goal through training or a fit adjustment that will have a bigger impact.
And for every thread I see like that, I am guessing their are countless other lurkers living in denial.