TT front wheel aerodynamics



blkhotrod

New Member
Oct 20, 2005
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would you think a 100mm front aero wheel would be better, same, or worse than a 50 mm front in calm conditions (little or no cross winds). txs.
 
100mm is pretty extreme. I would suggest an 85mm. This should do the trick in calm weather. It's not bad in crosswinds either. :rolleyes:



blkhotrod said:
would you think a 100mm front aero wheel would be better, same, or worse than a 50 mm front in calm conditions (little or no cross winds). txs.
 
carbonguru said:
100mm is pretty extreme. I would suggest an 85mm. This should do the trick in calm weather. It's not bad in crosswinds either. :rolleyes:
thanks carbonguru. only have the choice between a 100 and a 50 front. does someone make a 85 mm front?
 
blkhotrod said:
thanks carbonguru. only have the choice between a 100 and a 50 front. does someone make a 85 mm front?


You must be looking at blackwell research wheels.

Hed makes a 60 and a 90.

Technically speaking a 100 would be better than a 50, but when is it perfectly calm?
 
Are you looking at two specific front wheels? If so you might help us, if you stated the exact make of the two. :)
But, I guess the 100 mm would give the best aerodynamics, again, with crosswind and all, I don't know if you should go 50 mm.
 
one thing I like about HED is that they try to calculate drag from different head-on angles.

this is probably mostly spiel, but at least they're trying :)

"It's a relatively simple matter to design an aero wheel capable of producing a low drag factor against a direct headwind. However, we understand that a true zero degree headwind is almost unknown on the road. All it takes is a 5mm lateral shift by the rider and the headwind becomes a side wind in relation to the front wheel. Designing a wheel that performs well in all wind conditions is therefore paramount. This is why all of our wheels are designed and tested using wind angles from 0 to 20 degrees. By carefully regulating the depth and shape of our wheels, we can achieve optimum wheel performance no matter what the wind conditions happen to be. When our numbers go down in the wind tunnel, you go faster out on the road."




http://www.hedcycling.com/wheels/stinger90.php
 
Put your bottle on your seat tube, wear an aeropak (camelbak), buy an aero helmet and don't wear gloves. The helmet alone makes more difference than the front wheel. (MIT tested this)