Why do I need to get a specialised bike



San Remo GT

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Aug 17, 2005
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I was told that if I were to change from my road bike to a bike specialised for time trialing it could add 2 mph to my typical strait line speed. Honestly for the prices they sell, I could get one with an engine and add 100mph to my speed. Seriously how much difference does all that aeroshit make to a 20mph object? Are they fobbin me off or do they have a point even if 2 mph did make that much difference anyway?
 
Well, let's pretend you're actually interested in an answer. If you are racing time trials or triathlons, then you probably want every advantage you can get, and an aero advantage can get significant as speeds climb. If you're not going to do TT's or triathlons, then you need not worry about getting a TT bike, unless that's what you want.
 
The biggest bang for your aero buck comes from rider position so if budget is an issue and speed is a priority just get some clip on aero bars for your road bike. But yes, even at 20-25 mph aerodynamics matters.

Pretty good discussion of return on aero investment with real world testing here: http://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/article/how-aero-is-aero-19273/

Of course if you're racing in the Western US in the Masters categories then no, aero goodies do not help, a rugged MTB is better and please sit upright and roll heavy puncture resistant tires with heavy butyl tubes at least when we're signed up for the same race ;)

-Dave
 
daveryanwyoming said:
Of course if you're racing in the Western US in the Masters categories then no, aero goodies do not help.... -Dave  
That's because in the Western states the Coriolis force always opposes the drag force, and while drag only increases linearly with the presented aerodynamic area, the Coriolis force increases with the square of the area.
 
Originally Posted by alienator .


That's because in the Western states the Coriolis force always opposes the drag force, and while drag only increases linearly with the presented aerodynamic area, the Coriolis force increases with the square of the area.
Shhhhh, don't give away the well kept secrets and that's not even getting into the way rotating weight and MOI is multiplied in Australia and Alex has to shave every gram off those burly 170 gram tires....
 
Got a bit confused there at first, as specialized is a bike brand...

And claiming that a particular brand of bike would increase speed like that would indeed be a rather bold statement.
Apart from that I can only chime in with the previous posters - for everyday use it doesn't matter much, but if you're racing for the line, then every little helps.

Keep in mind that TT bikes are fairly dedicated creatures, and not that suited for everyday riding.
 

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