BrainInAJar

Let's talk aero road bikes

Anyone have one? Are they worth it? Who makes them? ( I know of the Felt AR* series, the Cervélo S-series and the Specialized Venge )

maverick31210

Just buy the Venge already

......post pics or it didn't happen


Here's mine, thinking about flipping it




....I know my garage looks just like the one from ad, total coincidence btw.

rmr1923

took me a second to realize there's a bike in that pic... i was busy drooling over the Vodafone McLaren

Crimsonghost

I don't think that pic follows proper bf ediquette.

gadabout007

any reason to post a photo



< 25k winds love > 25k winds hate it.

MNX1024

Are aero road frame heavier than regular road frame like how TT frame is heavier than road frames?

gadabout007

probably a little. that bike is a 58cm weighs in at 17.3 lbs without pedals.

sced

Blackdays

Saw an S-Works Venge at Somerville. Really sharp looking bike.

Inertianinja

I got a 2010 AR1 frameset, built with Red. love it and the aero (compared to my previous bike) makes a difference.

hhnngg1

It's all about looks. Seriously. If the looks are worth the bling, get it. Otherwise, no.

IcySmooth52

To each their own. I think they make a difference and are a better choice for solo riding.

Adrianinkc

Don't forget the scott bike also.

intence

In general yes. There is usually more material in the aero sections, so usually an aero frame will be heavier than a comparable "regular" road frame of the same caliber. For example I believe the Cervelo S2/S3 are heavier than their R-Series, although some believe that having a more aerodynamic bike will more than offset the weight difference.

maverick31210

I don't think that post follows proper spelling etiquette

Bacciagalupe

My impression is that compared to higher-end standard frames, the aero frames offer an tiny advantage over a similarly set-up non-aero frame. E.g. a recent Tarmac frame already has many of the aero optimizations of a Venge.

Top pros on non-aero frames have routinely beaten other top pros on aero frames to the line over the last few years, and those are exactly the kinds of situations where fractions of a second can make the winner.

That said, if anyone has real-world power meter data that demonstrates that an aero bike is more efficient than an identically set-up road bike (that doesn't use old-school round tubes ), and the difference is in fact significant, I'd concede the point.

Inertianinja

seriously? it's ALL about looks?
well i'm glad we have someone here who has conducted scientific testing on all these frames in wind tunnels and can say "seriously" that it's "all" about the looks.

Engineering degree from the University of BikeForums lol

merlinextraligh

Or you can go with the Cdale System Six Evo. Not a truly aero frame, but more aero than many frames, and extremely light.

Inertianinja

word, i would guess that the future will be a convergence towards the middle - all frames will get more aero as carbon tech improves.

i mean, the first carbon frames were lugged, and tech developed to the point where they were *safe*
then i'd guess the next step was to make them stiff in the right places - experimenting with layups, resin, tube and triangle design.
now i'd say we are at a point where they are safe, stiff, and LIGHT - hence the Cannondale S6E.

seems like we're at the turning point between "aero OR light" and "aero AND light"

because really - once you can make a frame light and stiff and aero, why not?

hhnngg1

Just because someone has spend $11,000 to test a frame in a wind tunnel does NOT mean it's a better performing bike, even if it has better aero performance in the wind tunnel.

The aero benefits from a standard road bike position aero frame vs nonaero frame are really small. We're talking like seconds in an hour 40k, 20-30 seconds TOPS, and for a typical rider, more likely about 5-10 seconds. Shoot, even for an aggressive TT position, you're only gaining about 1 minute per hour, and that's generous.

UNless you're a top pro, it's really all about the looks. Wind tunnel data will show a difference, but it is an essentially meaningless difference for all but the top pros.

Inertianinja

if it saves a pro energy at 30mph, it saves me energy at 30mph. the rider's fitness has nothing to do with the frame's characteristics.
if it saves anyone energy at any time, then it's not "seriously. all about the looks." therefore your earlier post is not true.

GirlAnachronism

I'm getting this:

dgasmd

True, but the difference will be so negligible 99% of us will never notice it or benefit from it.

dgasmd

BTW, this is one is "aero", and yet I can't tell a difference to the other below!


Not so aero

hhnngg1

So , great, you're right. It's making you faster.

Unfortunately, you'll likely get an equivalent, or possibly greater time savings by riding in the drops vs the hoods for 1 minute longer than you typically would on a nonaero road bike.

And, unless you're always riding in a skinsuit, the nonaeroness of your clothing will far outstrip any benefit of the aero tubing, for sure, to the point that you won't even be able to measure any substantive gain whatsover. (Notice how they're always in a skinsuit in the windtunnel?)

But if you'd like to delude yourself into thinking that you really have a real advantage with your aero frame against a round-tubed bike in a nonpro racing environment, feel free to do so.