Final 12 months I set out on a undertaking to get extra aerodynamic on the bike on a budget. With an outdated body, some borrowed tools and a few objects of check equipment, I constructed a time trial (TT) bike and adjusted my place to get as aerodynamic as doable. The entire setup value lower than £200 and led to a major enchancment over earlier TT instances set on a regular drop barred highway bike.
This 12 months the pure development was to see if and the way I may take it to the following degree. To seek out much more biking velocity. With a greater place and higher equipment would the enhancements proceed in a linear vogue and see me put up ever quicker instances? That was the hope. However little did I do know issues have been about to get sophisticated.
First up, the equipment. This was actually the simple half. I knew Specialised had a Shiv in my measurement that was gathering mud in a professional rider’s storage, and a mortgage of a motorcycle that’s recognized to check exceptionally nicely in all situations was the right begin. I’d equipment it out with a SRAM Purple Etap AXS one-by groupset and there’d be no stopping me.
Constructing the bike was comparatively easy, even the oft troublesome inside routing for the disc brakes was easy. The Etap bar buttons have been simple to find and feed via to the mind sitting underneath the steam, whereas the wi-fi blips can go virtually anyplace. Wi-fi setups, the place you’re capable of place gear-change buttons precisely the place your palms sit, are excellent for TT bikes for which holding a set place is all the things.
The bike that editor Simon Richardson hoped would carry him to ever quicker instances
(Picture credit score: Future)
With the bike able to roll I drove as much as the Silverstone Sports activities Engineering (SSE) windtunnel. With two bikes and check equipment I used to be excited to see what number of watts the £10k+ SRAM geared up Shiv would save over an eight 12 months outdated, transformed £1,600 highway bike. With three hours of tunnel time to play with we’d then get my place dialled in to perfection, save much more watts, and I’d come away from the entire expertise able to race.
As a result of that’s the way it works, proper? Nicely, not fairly. Welcome to the aerodynamics rabbit gap.
The choices are infinite when you’re within the windtunnel, even with two consultants at your disposal
(Picture credit score: Andy Jones)
I’ve had extra conversations relating to aerodynamics than I care to say. And most of them with the person stood behind the display to my left, pushing the buttons and telling me when to pedal. Dr Hutch is well-known for his driving exploits and column in CW journal, however he’s additionally an aerodynamic guide, at present working with the Irish staff, and I’m continuously choosing his brains on the topic.
I’ve been fortunate sufficient to observe Chris Boardman at work in a windtunnel and have had my mind frazzled by Tony Purnell, as soon as of Jaguar F1, now with British Biking, on the idea behind all of it.
I do know it’s important to get your frontal space as small as doable. That some equipment works for some riders’ positions and never others, and {that a} change in place can throw out all beforehand gathered information forcing you to start out once more. However even this data is barely scratching the floor and I’d by no means had the prospect to attempt it myself. Now was that likelihood.
We began by measuring my place and equipment from final 12 months, selecting to blast air at me at 45kph at a 5 diploma angle (most testing is completed at yaw angles between 0-10 deg, because it’s extra consultant of actual life driving situations – you’re not often driving right into a dead-on headwind) whereas I’m pedalling at 100 watts, the software program then calculates what number of watts I’d must experience to maintain that velocity. We’d additionally seize my CdA (coefficient of drag) for every check. The purpose for that quantity is to get it as little as doable.
A facet by facet comparability of my place on the Venge and the Shiv
(Picture credit score: SSE Hub)
The headline from the desk is that with the brand new equipment and some positional tweaks we managed to search out 31 watts from final 12 months’s setup. We tried another equipment together with a Rule 28 skinsuit and its ribbed undervest – one watt faster than the Castelli go well with, Rule 28 overshoes – misplaced that one watt once more, and a POC helmet – related financial savings to the Castelli setup however I couldn’t see the place I used to be going.
With every ‘run’ requiring the wind tunnel to be fired up and attain its velocity, a ‘tare’ taken to ascertain a zero level, then a 30 second measurement was taken, we rattled via our three hours very quickly. As a consequence of me forgetting the intensive field of nuts, bolts and spacers that enable for the armrests and extensions to be adjusted to a number of heights, we had barely scratched the floor of positional changes for my elbows and palms. A key issue to find the optimum TT place.
My forgetfulness turned out to be a blessing as twiddling with the bar’s intricate fixings would have taken up most of our time, and people three hours had flown by because it was.
The concept of coming away with my excellent place was so removed from the reality it was laughable. That perfection is just like the horizon, one thing you may chase however by no means fairly attain. There’s all the time one thing else to attempt. In a great world I’d have gone again to the tunnel with one set of most popular equipment for a session devoted to getting the extensions in an optimum place. A fast fingered mechanic would assist with that.
However we needed to settle with what we had. The brand new place with the HJC helmet in both the Castelli or Rapha skinsuit could be how I deal with the remaining races of the season.
All I now had to focus on was recreating this place on the highway, maintain 245 watts, and 45kph was achievable. That’s a 53 minute 25, or a 21 minute ten. However that is the place issues obtained tough. Within the tunnel I had a stay show of me driving projected onto the ground in entrance of me.
| Run description | CdA(m2) | Energy at 45kph | Change from baseline |
| 2021 setup (Venge) | 0.231 | 277 | 0 |
| Shiv with HJC helmet | 0.224 | 266 | -11w |
| Saddle down 15mm | 0.22 | 260 | -17w |
| Bar pads down 10mm | 0.219 | 259 | -18w |
| Bar pads inwards | 0.214 | 253 | -24w |
| Head decrease | 0.212 | 250 | -27w |
| Castelli go well with | 0.21 | 247 | -30w |
| Rapha go well with | 0.205 | 245 | -31w |
On prime of that was a inexperienced define of my final, or a most popular, driving place. Moulding myself into the inexperienced define was simple. I had a direct visible cue and didn’t have to fret about staying upright (the bike is held up by stanchions within the flooring) or trying the place I used to be going.
On the highway, none of these issues apply.
This was instantly introduced dwelling to me when somebody took a pic of me in a TT the place I regarded extra like a meerkat looking out than a streamlined, 45kph tester.
Getting my head down, while with the ability to look a secure distance up the highway, was maybe the most important problem. And with out my inexperienced define projected onto the tarmac in entrance of me I had no thought if I used to be conserving my CdA at 0.205 and subsequently banking these treasured watt financial savings.
I spent as a lot time as I may within the place, happening the sensations in my shoulders and neck as I attempted to duplicate the wind tunnel place, however this was solely doable in races and through turbo classes. The Shiv’s setup was not applicable for coaching rides.
An array of information is displayed on the ground in entrance of the rider to assist them enhance their place as they pedal
(Picture credit score: Andy Jones)
The observant amongst you might have realised I haven’t as soon as talked about my coaching up thus far. No, I wasn’t banking on aerodynamics alone slashing my instances, but it surely was going to must do loads of heavy lifting. Throughout the summer time I used to be a way off my health from final 12 months. With half of March and April worn out by sickness, sporadic driving quite than structured coaching the remainder of the time, and per week on the Tour de France, meant I used to be not hitting the numbers I hit in 2021. Not constantly anyway.
A number of TT’s that have been in my diary have been cancelled, and earlier than lengthy I used to be worrying about having a set of rides to meaningfully examine to final 12 months. One thing that’s tough at the very best of instances.
At my membership’s interclub TT towards our rival membership on the Bletchingley course in Surrey I posted a 27:57 minute experience, six seconds slower than final 12 months. However that’s not the entire story. My common energy had been 16 watts decrease than final 12 months, however I put 1.03 minutes right into a rider who beat me by 14 seconds in 2021 and went seven seconds quicker than one other rider who I had absolutely anticipated to beat me. Have been they off kind? Was it a slower night time? I’d put out much less energy, gone solely a handful of seconds slower and overwhelmed two riders who often beat me. It was a very good end result, even when it didn’t notably really feel like one.
On the even shorter Newdigate course, I posted an 18.44 minute experience early within the season on the Venge, then two months later, on the Shiv, I lowered that to a 17.40, sadly with no energy numbers to match. A quicker night time? In all probability. However the rider who beat me in Could solely improved by 24 seconds after I’d improved by 1.03min. The rider in third had gone quicker by simply two seconds.
The enhancements have been there regardless of my lack of ability to carry the place honed within the windtunnel. However nothing was going to offer conclusive proof.
(Picture credit score: Andy Jones)
The ultimate check
Because the summer time night TT season petered out in late August I felt like there had been no finish level or conclusive set of outcomes with which to neatly summarise my little aero undertaking so a fast reassessment needed to be made. I made a decision to experience a 25, a distance I hadn’t ridden for the reason that late 90s after I first began racing. The purpose could be to interrupt the hour.
With an open TT cancelled halfway via (see be aware at finish of characteristic) the ultimate check could be on the E33/25 course. A triangular circuit accomplished twice on single carriageway A roads in Cambridgeshire with a complete elevation of 190m. Initially proposed as a SPOCO course it wasn’t a on condition that I may break the hour, particularly as I used to be driving it alone, on a random Thursday afternoon on the finish of September.
The stress was on. Hundreds of kilos price of equipment (a HED rear disc and entrance wheel had since arrived for testing) and enter: I needed to do it. Setting off on a rolling part of highway I attempted my finest to carry again on the inclines, attempting to maintain it underneath 350 watts always and concurrently staying as aerodynamic as doable. Mainly, head tucked in and shoulders shrugged.
I had diminished the show on my laptop to point out simply velocity, watts and elapsed time, so I had little to distract me whereas giving me the information I wanted to make sure I used to be pacing myself and staying on track. I held a mean weighted energy of 222 watts (3.55 w/kg), fading ever so barely on the finish and finally stopped the clock at 59.00, simply after passing the end line signalled by Dr Hutch, so adjusted my time down by one second for further kudos.
(Picture credit score: Future / Andrew Sydenham)
I’d finished it. I’d damaged the hour, and what’s extra finished it on 48 hours discover, with none latest centered or constant coaching, no structured heat up and with out the additional impetus of being a part of an occasion.
Hutch made an informed guess that on a quick course, that point would drop additional nonetheless, even perhaps as little as 55 minutes, and that was sufficient for me. The aero tech and work on my place had allowed me, a really common time trailer, with out large watts to spare, to put up a very good time, when in a state of health that basically wasn’t conducive to it.
Would I’ve been blissful had I spent 1000’s of kilos of my very own cash (quite than borrow check equipment) and never get that conclusive reply or end result I hoped for? I most likely would. The outcomes have been good, if not spectacular, the Shiv is an excellent bike to experience at velocity and as a studying expertise it was fascinating.
I’d learnt that the aero quest is an ongoing undertaking, with an indefinite variety of tweaks to be made. However extra so, as I in contrast my instances with these from final 12 months I used to be reminded that whereas cash should buy you velocity, time is a extra invaluable commodity. Time spent coaching, and ideally within the TT place.
I can flip as much as an area TT on 1000’s of kilos price of equipment, get some admiring feedback and put up a very good time, however I think about I’ll by no means be absolutely glad. At all times pondering, “if I’d finished a couple of extra miles, raised my palms, obtained my head down decrease…….. I may go even quicker.” However I suppose that’s what retains us coming again.