View Single Post
Old 09-29-19, 10:34 PM
  #1  
fuji_owner
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 186

Bikes: 2012 Seven Axiom SL; Surly Cross Check

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 73 Post(s)
Liked 13 Times in 10 Posts
Illusion of "aero" bike frames

Why do so many people get bought in on the "aero" frame scam?

No matter how aero a frame is built, the rider's leg movements generate such a huge turbulence, that all the aero effects are gone. For any real aero effects, air flow all around the bike frame needs to be laminar, not turbulent.

And no matter how low you get on the bike, you're still the biggest non-aero component of the bike+human system. You just being on the bike makes it fundamentally non-aero anyways.

You can more likely gain the touted effects of aero frames more by making the drive train and chain stays stiffer for more power transfer, and choosing tires with lower rolling resistance.
fuji_owner is offline