Being quite unlike our friends at "Bicycling" magazine, the Germans decided to actually use some science when evaluating the differences that various equipment can make in the race against the clock. So in January 2007 "TOUR" magazine enlisted ex-pro Uwe Peschel and performed a quantitative test of sundry time trial equipment.
The premise is simple; hook Uwe up with a powermeter, get him to pedal at 45kmh and then measure the power he requires to hold that speed. They started with a regular road bike, wheels and upright stance and then finished with Uwe having the aerodynamic profile of a teflon coated Ferrari. Interesting reading.
Needed Watts for Speed = 45 km/h :
Stevens San Remo bike with normal handlebar 465 Watts needed to go 45 km/h
Same bike Hands down the drops: 406 watts needed
Same bike Easton Aeroforce bar: 369 Watts
Same bike Easton Aeroforce bar set 5.5 cm deeper: 355 Watts
Same bike Triathlon position (5.5 cm lower bar, saddle forwards): 360 Watts
Same bike Triathlon position Tri spoke front and back: 345 Watts
Cervelo + Tri spoke front 328 Watts
Cervelo + Tri spoke front + disk rear wheel : 320 Watts
Cervelo + Tri spoke front + disk rear wheel +Giro helmet: 317 Watts
Cervelo + Tri spoke front + disk rear wheel +Giro helmet + speed suit: 307 Watts
Cervelo + Tri spoke front + disk rear wheel +Giro helmet + speed suit +saddle 3 cm further back: 293 Watts
Interesting that the TT helmet is only good for 3 Watts. That's not much for looking like a conehead on the roads of Bruce county!
Dermot
Time Trial Equipment
Re: Time Trial Equipment
I'd like to see a graph of Watts vs. Dollars.