650C Front Wheel anyone?

[Peter Verdesi]

As I lay in bed early this morning recovering from a cracked knee cap (the result of an almost collision with a motor vehicle which resulted in me being launched over the front end of my Cervelo P3) I was thinking would there be any aero advantage to putting a 650C front wheel on a bike that normally would have a 700C wheel. I know you would have to change the fork but aside from that it would be pretty easy to do. I've seen pictures of older time trial bikes with a smaller front wheel. If nothing else it may get your back a bit flatter over the bike. Any opinions?

 

[Eden]

The arrangement was quite popular for a time, but if you are racing USACycling or UCI sponsored events you have to use a bike with two wheels of the same size. If you do tri's it may still be OK, but I'd check your organization's rule books on that one. Tris still allow many things that USACycling and UCI don't like softride style bikes, but not being a triathlete I don't know exactly what all the rules are.