The best aero gain I have found is a good tail wind

@JanneRasanen2

5 ай бұрын

What about farting? It pushes you forward and there is nobody behind you. "Tail wind" oh I get it now 😂

+ EUR 2,000 carbon fiber rims help as much as shaving your shins 😮

Any one else have this takeaway? - Other than body position, the rest of the aero gains seem really minuscule by themselves. I suppose if you did every aero thing you’d see a noticeable difference, but get into the lowest position you can comfortably hold and wear tight clothing and you’re basically taking advantage of 90% of aero efficiencies.

@norgtube

5 ай бұрын

Of course they're small by themselves, but piling them up does make a noticeable difference.

@sempi8159

5 ай бұрын

Most aero stuff is a scam. Welcome to the bright side :)

@craigpavia8943

5 ай бұрын

Lose weight...you the rider makes up 80% (I've heard higher) of the aero mass...find a taller rider and sit-in :)

@sempi8159

5 ай бұрын

@@craigpavia8943 exactly

@GoustiFruit

5 ай бұрын

@@craigpavia8943Depends. If you race downhill...

I have found losing my last 10 - 15lbs allow me to be more aero. Hold a flatter back more easily.

I've tried wearing a water pack during a century ride and removing my bottle cages and noticed a significant average speed improvement for the same effort.

Over the years I have trained in an aero position (even when I'm training indoors) and have done all the points mentioned on a budget-ish (tubeless GP5000). All I can say is that I'm fast on flat roads and sit on the front ready to be dropped on the next hill. It's good cat and mouse training at times as I'm faster on the downhills!!

Not specifically called out, but the aero hoods position. This is what you guys were using in the wind tunnel when Xavier was talking about more aero body positions. Back in the 2000s we were all in the drops when we were at the front, and maybe a handful of people did the puppy paws / invisible aero bar position. The drops are not as good as aero hoods because your forearms are exposed to the wind.

"tighter fitting clothing is free", what I'm hearing is it's a good thing I'm going to put on half a stone over Christmas

@BirdmanDeuce26

5 ай бұрын

big brain strat

One of the most honest video's on aero gains I've saw, would love to hear his thoughts on the advantages of aero with different angles of cross and tail winds.

@Shadowboost

5 ай бұрын

If you can hang on, aero wheels generate thrust at wide enough yaw angle. You actually sail

I simply wear tight under armor leg gear. I got rid of my water bottles for an aero Hydration Pack. Getting low might be the hardest to sustain. I was in a super areo position real low but the position was difficult to see. Holding my eyes up in that position started to be straining. That position was definitely areo and I seen a dramatical difference in speed. I already have two sets of 50/88 wheels. I did notice a difference when i bought an areo helmet.

Keep those gilets, jerseys, and jackets zippered up to prevent them from flapping in the wind. Use jerseys designed for the heat that you don't have to unzip.

Clean drivetrain and a waxed chain are 5 to 10 watts and basic paraffin wax is super cheap.

Velomobile FTW!

love your vids❤

I've lowered my personal RR/aero resistance with about 18 kg since October last year. Should see some gains comes spring - hopefully.

i really dig the RHC London and Barcelona B-Roll footage!

in the clip for aero extension bars the rolling shot of a normal bike not super slammed but just ever so slightly rolled over into a comfortable position is spot on really. i feel like it's easy to lose real world performance in the world of yeah just some pros hanging out posting update vids or whatever's current.

Some framebags offer significant aero gains! And you can store stuff in there aswell.

Jam Cycling Kit FTW!

I have a relatively large head and struggle to find helmets. Last time I looked, there were only midrange offerings in ~62cm. I currently use a Lazer Sphere which was pretty much the only half decent option.

becoming slimmer. Happy New Year!

Learning to ride aero its free and the gains are tremendous. Getting low, Rolling the shoulders and arms in bring in the heels and have a slight pointed toe. All that Learning to ride in a tighter tuck its all free on the bike but for concentration.

Shoe covers, aero bottles, combi saddle bag and bottle holder, integrated stem and bars, turned in hoods, blade spokes if you are buying new rims.

does wearing a watch make you much less aero? Always wore my Garmin Fenix , similar watch although I also have computer on bike.. How much will I save to leave it at home!!

Haven’t heard from/about George and Jess in a while!! I miss the Jam years of the vlog… wonder if you’re still in contact, and how they’re doing…

If you add up all those watt savings you get to more watts than you make in the first place 😂

@mightycw7309

5 ай бұрын

few realize that if you shave all your body hair and hold your body position perfectly the bike will actually propel itself forward

Use the right tyre pressure to improve rolling resistance

Nicely explained. No mention of shaving beards off though!

@rasherdk

5 ай бұрын

The only test I've seen (on Danish TV2 Sport) could not detect any difference between beard and no beard. Hypothesis was that the area is so full of turbulence anyway that it doesn't really make a difference. This was a proper full beard (google Rasmus Quaade).

Reg. shaving the legs. I've heart that shaving the beard has no impact cause it's in the front and won't cause drag. So is it enough to shave the sides and back of our legs then? :) Ok, might look weird, but I am genuinly curious.

How important is matching your tyre and rim width? Would i be a fool to put 28s on a 23 outer rim?

@ankjaers

5 ай бұрын

It’s not ideal for aero. But you get rolling resistance gains. And a lot more comfort.

Where can I find individual tt bike wattage tests done in wind tunnel with disc wheel etc

Been thinking of making like some weird aerodynamic thing around my bike from like aluminium tube and tent fabric. I think it could be good but i just don't have the money to do it right now. 🙂

@flosa1995

5 ай бұрын

Thats called a sail lol

@sempi8159

5 ай бұрын

Try finding fiberglass tent poles instead of aluminium

@nebulous962

5 ай бұрын

@@sempi8159 interesting. I had no idea that was a thing. Sound like a good idea. Thanks for the tip. 🙂

@SuperNeilB

5 ай бұрын

You are thinking of a two wheel velomobile....no point in reinventing the wheel!

@nebulous962

5 ай бұрын

@@SuperNeilBwell why spend like 4k for something when i can just spend like 100€ on some materials?

Now I have an urge to cover my bike frame in hair... maybe the left-over fuzz from initially shaving my legs. ;-)

Would you achieve any aero gain by rounding the edges of a disc brake rotor?

@michadebicki6534

4 ай бұрын

Lol, moving disc brake pizza cutter :D

Loosing few kg can help too! But now serious question. Im a big rider, around 95kg. I have alloy wheels with rim brakes. I was thinking about them latex tubes but people telling me its not a good idea with rim brakes-especially for a big riders like me. Ive been told that rims getting hot on descents can damage the tubes? Is that correct ? Thanks!

@nebulous962

5 ай бұрын

Surely the rims won't get that hot? Unless you have like foldable bike with like 12 inch rim maybe. The surface area is just so big that I have hard time believing that it would get that hot.

@veloaddict

5 ай бұрын

Go tubeless and use non-vulcanized tires.

@uranusjr

5 ай бұрын

Not sure about latex but TPU is quite good in this regard, at least as good as butyl, so maybe do that instead?

@CyclingAlgarvePortugal

5 ай бұрын

thx! @@uranusjr

@CyclingAlgarvePortugal

5 ай бұрын

like the ridenow you talking about? @@uranusjr

I’d love a similar video for mountain bikes. I’m sure many of the tips are the same but there may be some different ones as well

@adamweb

5 ай бұрын

The MTB scene is just now learning about aerodynamics 😂The XL flannel jersey with jeans combo is used like a sail to change direction midair!

@j_potatoe

5 ай бұрын

see ben cathro on pinkbike's 'How to bike series' about setup your bike as a good starting point.

@barrytantlinger1033

5 ай бұрын

But are MTBer's going fast enough for it to matter? While aero gains start at about 20 kph, the really noticeable gains videos like this are talking about usually are measured at 30 kph. And the big one - position - just aren't doable on a mountain bike.

@junkandcrapamen

5 ай бұрын

Because your arms are so wide, sit straighter up and go on average much slower worrying about aerodynamics on an mtb is not worth it. Particularly a full sus machine.

@christoferstromberg6605

5 ай бұрын

​@@adamwebskinsuits is banned from downhill racing for example, otherwise everyone would be in one.

Whats the difference in leg compression sleeves instead of shaving legs?

@proffate

4 ай бұрын

It affects who thinks you look dumb

Do handlebars make a difference?

He forgot to mention spending $12,000 on the latest aero road bike that is .0002% faster than last years.

Clip on TT bar and Tt helmet

so really I am going to spend it more for the socks than the helmet. got it

I had a brief discussion about using very narrow bars with Xavier a while back, he said they are only really any good if you can keep your elbows in. There's a lot of trial and error with this stuff, what works for one person might not for another, consider how much power is gained in an aero position, it may be negated by your physical inability to produce power in this position. I used to race in a cap rather than a helmet as it was more aero than the helmet I owned. Obviously CTT now insist on helmets so I have bought an aero road helmet. Good vid guys.

why are the aero socks more aero than shaved or hairy legs?

Losing some of my surface area might help considering I’m essentially a sail.

What about covering the shoes?

Drivetrain efficiency… clean chain with decent lube?

Also, what about beards and long hair?

I thought 2 bottles was faster than 1?

I wonder how many aero watts someone would save by getting rid of a beer gut? Asking for a friend….

@SuperNeilB

5 ай бұрын

You know ships go faster because of less drag when they have a 'bulbous bow.' I'm hoping bike riders are the same.....

@johnpayne5404

4 ай бұрын

My personal experience… dropping the gut made a surprisingly big difference, in a way I didn’t expect. Yes, I could be comfortable at a lower position. Yes, in that position my thighs didn’t beat my gut like an inverted bongo drum. Yes, probably a bit narrower to the wind. All to the good. The surprising part was the lung capacity increase in the lower position permitting much more power when low and drilling it. So less weight, more aero, more power = demoralized riding buddies 😀

He said remove stuff, but didn't Dylan Johnson and Silca show that saddlebags and bottles are more aero?

Go double Van Gogh and really commit to the aero project?

@fullmetall122

5 ай бұрын

that's a real commitment!

@bingobango6412

5 ай бұрын

Next video: how aero is Voldemort??

Interesting that there are now findings that running 30mm tires almost negates aero gains from deep wheels other than perhaps stiffness of that counts

@kalebzehr6850

5 ай бұрын

I just buy them for the looks lol

@neilk22

5 ай бұрын

@@kalebzehr6850 same here, a 40-50mm does make a bike look racey

hahahahaha... recumbents for the win!

Shaving off your beard and bottle down the jersey.

@mattkennedy1203

5 ай бұрын

Beards are actually shown to have very little (less than 1 second over 40km ) effect on aerodynamics in cycling.

@garybird8646

5 ай бұрын

@@mattkennedy1203 even big beards? Genuine question btw

@henrychungfitness

5 ай бұрын

The bottle down the jersey is a good one especially for triathletes 👍 beard, not so sure because I can’t grow one anyways lol

@wongasaur

5 ай бұрын

A massive beard actually has an aero advantage.. better than a bottle down the jersey. Goal is to eliminate the space for turbulent air between the throat/torso & top tube.

@fortinbras47

5 ай бұрын

@@garybird8646checkout specialized “win tunnel” series. Shaving legs is huge but beards don’t matter.

What about beards?

Certains gains peuvent faire rire mais tout additionné on peut grimper à 25w et 25w sur un pratiquant lambda c’est énorme !

I wonder how much of these savings are valid with wind coming from other directions (like crosswinds) other than from the front. Or wind with different yaw/pitch, etc. it would be nice to test this. I don’t know anyone who has done this.

@adambrickley1119

5 ай бұрын

Modern aero rims can create drive with a 30 degree yaw apparently. Something to do with the cross section being less sharp.

Get a faired recumbent. :D (well okay, probably not what "bang for buck" means)

@SaHaRaSquad

17 күн бұрын

Well compared to any expensive road bike it's definitely more cost efficient. Considering the video suggests wheels for over $1000 to get 5W gains lol

Loosing the belly

You show me any Sunday once a week aero owning rider that is anywhere near an aero position. The biggest thing you can do to be aero is improve your flexibility and core strength. I haven’t seen a single Sunday rider on the road in 2023 with bent arms and a flat back.

@proffate

4 ай бұрын

Are you trying to shame people with jobs? Those whose purchases effectively fund all this research?

The first one minute.

It does not matter how much money you spend on bike or bike upgrading, you still have to PEDAL.

Shoe covers

I love that Xavier.. sorry, I mean dr Disley starts with the (almost) free options.

Bottles from the downtube to the back of the saddle.

@peterneumann7145

5 ай бұрын

Nah only Tri would do that

@joseluisrodriguezvazquez6082

5 ай бұрын

And if you only use one, I understand that having it on the seat tube is a bit more aero than having it on the downtube.

great video- Nicely explained by Xavier and to the point. That being said, genetically I have no hair in my chest, so let me have hair in my legs, no way I am shaving my legs. Other than that, excellent advice

I like to say "I'm not fat, I'm more aero". My gut fills the air pocket between my torso and legs saving me at least 100 watts per year.

Saddle bags and frame bags often make the bike faster. He's talking out of his ass.

aero socks.

@JP-hr7ch

5 ай бұрын

Didn't you know the aerodynamics of your socks is more significant than the bike frame itself? Bargain at £69 lol /s

The aero gains in a wind tunnel are practically zero to the average man or club rider. As the test are done at 48km/h and sometimes higher. If you half the speed to 24km/h you can divide any wind tunnel claim by 8. You would a total of 6 watt saving at 15mph. If you did al the ipgrades here theoretically you could gain0.2 mph at 16mph average but the rider would loose most of that advantage on the first climb and down hill section with the loss of leverage and control from the narrow bars.

If I heard correctly the bike is the problem not the rider.

Turned in hoods😢

@barrytantlinger1033

5 ай бұрын

UCI just banned them...

@gielmoons967

5 ай бұрын

I know😔

Riding naked and shave your whole body, removing unnecessary parts not only from the Bike but you

I sincerely doubt that hair on my legs is stealing 5W at 30k/h

@lyndonpung1534

4 ай бұрын

Have to shave the balls to to save 5%

#1 is what I've been saying forever. Nothing uglier that an aero bike with 3 or 4 spacers under the stem.

While I do hunt PB's on random rides...aero only wins you anything in competition.

y’all are some nerds lol

No. Just no.

Hair on your legs should not be in the top 10. Shouldn't even be an aero gain.

@SaHaRaSquad

17 күн бұрын

Yeah anyone who says 1 gained minute at 40km/h is significant has lost touch with reality. Half the list in the video isn't better according to his numbers than a pair of aero socks. It's funny how people talk about shaving legs as aero optimization while recumbent bikes will blow any high-end road bike out of the water.

Get a bike fit and then go from there.

Why is this guy been described as an "Aerodynamics Expert", when he has zero academic qualifications in aerodynamics?

@rbstretch100

5 ай бұрын

Academic qualification is not what I look for in expertise. Expertise is more likely to come from experience than a qualification.

@JP-hr7ch

5 ай бұрын

@@rbstretch100 So by your logic, you would trust an "experienced" generalist nurse, over a fully qualified, professionally registered, specialist doctor, ok.

@rgfrobotics

5 ай бұрын

its the bike industry here! the standards are low 😆

@rbstretch100

5 ай бұрын

@@JP-hr7ch If that doctor is lacking the experience, then yes. The reality is that doctors only become a specialist through lots of experience, so your scenario is not realistic. Of course there is a qualiity of experience factor in there as well and as far as I can tell Xavier has been working in wind tunnels with real athletes for years, so can count himself as an expert.

@SaHaRaSquad

17 күн бұрын

@@JP-hr7ch I will absolutely trust a nurse for some things more than a doctor who sits in his office prescribing pills all day, yes. Because the nurse does some "low skill" tasks a hundred times per year while the doctor last did it 3 years ago. Aerodynamics is an extremely complex field where theoretical knowledge can only get you so far and even simulations make errors, that's why wind tunnels exist in the first place.

Yawn

The second he said shaving legs makes 5 watts difference he yelled loud and clear this guy is bullshit with zero back up to his crapp. There are tons of studies about this and the actual wattage you can see it's 0,05 watts, shaving legs has 2 benefits though , aesthetics if is your thing and in case you crash is a cleaner wound having no hair.

@invisiblescout6335

5 ай бұрын

Any sources for these studies? Every wind tunnel test I've seen claims 10+ watts above 40 kmh

@keessonnema

5 ай бұрын

Instead of whining about it, link to the studies you talk about maybe?

@derekkuhl

5 ай бұрын

I think your reading is off. The tons of studies showed that there was a significant benefit aerodynamically.

@Liryc19

5 ай бұрын

Oli from GCN even did the comparison in this specific tunnel, with Xavier, before and after shaving, and they found a surprising amount of différence...

@SecwetGwiwer

5 ай бұрын

Do you know who he is? 😆 He’s pretty much the no.1 expert in cycling aerodynamics.

Did you know you can shave your legs faster if your arms are shaved? 🪒

@sfdint

5 ай бұрын

I can see you are a real efficiency expert!

@karelvandervelden8819

5 ай бұрын

No its still faster if you wear an aero jersey while shaving but indeed that time saved you can put in longer training for even more speed. The hairloss on my head made me more aero and lighter thus compensated for the watts lost over the years. Bigger breasts on women have a measured aero benefit plus they tend to have a strong boyfriend who rides in front. The mental strength benefit I have over unshaved legs amateurs leaves them in the dust. Buying ceramic bearings limits your food budget thus weightloss. All the other even better tips I have are for sale.