Originally Posted by
Sy Reene
Mind you, the way they've foreshortened the Y axis on the bar chart exaggerates the improvement in CdA. But the key thing is that the difference in power at 30 kph (18 mph) is only about 10w vs 35w at 45kph (27 mph).
There's a 4 mile stretch of my usual route that is pretty much 2 miles up and 2 miles down a 2% gradient, with flattish bits on either side. When I'm going down those I'm usually in the drops, then I do aero hoods on the flats, because I'm usually going >25 mph. Going up, I'm usually on the hoods or the curve right behind, because I'm usually going more like 13-18 mph. The idea of doing the whole thing in the drops or aero hoods is simply nonsensical.
