Originally Posted by
MinnMan
I'm not sure that this is right. An aerodynamic profile can maintain laminar flow and inhibit initiation of turbulent flow. But once the flow is turbulent, the game is up. I haven't seen any data to suggest that an aerodynamic profile can actually take turbulent flow and force it to become laminar. If there are any aeronautical engineers peering at this thread, maybe they could clarify?
Why do triathletes who can afford to universally do it, then? Why do companies like Enve stand Rolf make wheelsets like this? Why do disc wheels exist?
That said, to my knowledge LB wheels haven't spent a lot of time in a wind tunnel. That's part of why they cost so much less than Zipp. We're all making assumptions based on all else being equal, but small changes can have big impacts.