aero helmet? worth it? who wears one?

Absolutely not...

only a couple seconds per KM at best.

Edited by Kido 2010-03-25 4:35 PM

Yeah, if I could "pick up 1-2 mph by investing in" everything "they" say you can:

*Clipless pedals/shoes
*Aerobars
*Aeroframe Tri bike
*Aero wheels
*Aero bottle, and
*Aero helmet,

That would be 6-12mph and I'd be averaging as much as 32 mph in my races.

At your next meeting use that stick your carrying in your avatar to beat them with

I thought it sounded a little too good to be true.

so is the aero bottle the same?

With mine I'm slower with same watts..I'll sell it to you if you want one

A couple of BTers have done wind tunnel testing and were found to be more aero ie less drag with their standard bike helmets than with aero helmet. It very much depends on your position on the bike.

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From what I have heard, if your average speed is under 20 mph, all the aero toys really do not make much difference.

Even over 20 mph average, the aero toys will, at best, cumulatively help maybe 1 mph or so.

The best ways to improve speed:
1. Training
2. Proper bike fit
3. Weight on the body
4. Weight on the wheels
5. Aero bars
6. Some more training

There was a study done somewhere (?MIT) last year that showed that aero helmets allegedly gave the same benefit as pricey aero wheels, and it splashed all over the internet.

There have been no secondary verifications of this, or pro coaches swearing by this rule, and I've noticed that in long-course triathlon at least, there are few aero helments being worn. Not too many anecdotal reports as well of people documenting speed increases from an aero helmet.

I'm sure they help some, and to a pro, that's probably a crucial amount, but I'm still doubtful how relevant these time savings would be for an amateur, even a AG winner. 

Well, aero helmets do provide an aerodynamic advantage. That is a certainty. That's why when you see a cycling time trial race, all the athletes will be wearing them. How much of a benefit is debatable. If saving a few seconds over a 40K TT is important to you, then it's worth it. If not, no gig deal either. Long course pro triathletes use them much more than not, but 112 miles is a long way and individual comfort or preference will dictate their choice.

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1. As PS said, no magig 20mph barrier. In fact, those at slower speeds may benefit more simply by being onthe course longer.
2. Weight is nearly irrelevant in most triathlons/time trials.
3. Rotational weight ahead of body weight.

You are right about training being the best way to improve speed, though.

I'll take all the free (free as in extra speed that wasn't gained from training, not free as in no $$)  speed that I can get. 

Aero Bottle (on my bike would deflect air around head tube so it would be faster)
Aero Helmet
Wheel Cover
Tri-Spoke
Latex Tubes
Lower rolling resistance tires
Proper Bike Fit.

If you can afford it why wouldn't you?

As for why the 2 winners of Kona didn't wear aero helmets it doesn't have anything to do with aerodynamics, it has more to do with heat regulation/comfort or some other reason, not because they are slower.  The winners of other IronMan events did wear them last year (with some nice fast times)

Not saying that due to all these things I train less but they will make me faster than the next guy with equal training that doesn't have them.

As a side note.  The ONLY time I have ever seen a 1-2 mph change due to equipment was when I switched from my MTB to my road bike and when I switched from sitting up into earo position with earo bars...

I still play that game...  Coast down my hill sitting up, 30mph.  Coast down my hill in earo, 32 mph.  I can get in/out of earo all day doing that and see the change in speed.

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Nothing wrong with "free speed" (no training, that is) and pricey toys (we've all got them) if you can afford them.

When you spend $2000 on race wheels for <1 minute of time gain over 2.5 hours of racing, or $150 on a race wheel for 10 seconds over the same course, it's a significant expenditure.

For $150, you can take your whole family out for dinner and light entertainment on the weekend. If money's no object, sure go crazy, but even though I can definitely afford both those things and more easily, it's hard for me to justify spending that $150 on myself for those few seconds of race time. (And I missed 3rd AG in my last 2 tris by < 1minute!)

Edited by agarose2000 2010-03-25 6:07 PM

As others have said, there is no magic 20mph barrier; if you are moving forward you are fighting air resistance.  Since it scales with the cube of velocity (in still air) the faster you go the more important it becomes but the smaller the gains.

For the rest of your list, I am with you on the training and bike fit but disagree after that.  For tri/TT applications, unless you are doing an uphill, point to point course, aero will trump weight (rotational or otherwise).  So much so that on race day I have no problem adding close to a pound of rotational weight as a disc cover and turn my rear wheel into a disc.

Shane

yeah, not sure where you saw me arguing...  I agree.  I don't plan to wear my earo helmet for my next IM either...

Other than position and tight clothing, I really don't see significant gains to any equipment.  Not to say they are not there, because they are and I even bought in on most of them.  Aero helmet, race wheels, earo water bottle...  But I can give all of them up with no heartburn but I will NOT go back to my MTB or wear baggy clothing.

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I don't see where anyone has argued that these are of no benefit, just that you're not going to get 1-2mph out of each one as "they" tend to say.

Based on my tests (with my old aero helmet - LG Prolouge) I seemed to save about 5W wearing the helmet which is about .5s/km.  I'm hoping to get a bit more about of my new aero helmet (Giro Advantage 2) but I haven't gotten out on the road to test it yet.

Shane

Weight is far from irrelevant when talking speed.  It takes much less effort to move less mass.

My personal anecdote is I lost 40 pounds in less than a year.  Yes, training impacted my speed, but my average speed gain was roughly 3 mph.

On the internet, it is easy for all of us to have opinions, but I have seen numerous sources referencing the "magical" 20 mph mark for aero benefits, so I stand by my opinion.   When talking about things like bottles and helmets, the savings is very incremental at best.

For the average AGer, it ends up being more about cool factor.  How many times have you seen someone decked out in an aero helmet riding a tri bike sitting full upright?  Saving a few seconds or even a minute won't get the AGer any more prize money.

But if you are a pro, that savings can be the difference in the size of the paycheck you get.

I guess I read a couple replies that seemed to be slanted that way.

And true, none are going to give you that kind of advantage by themselves.

Unless you are doing lots of accelerations, weight becomes all but meaningless.  Since a tri/TT should be close to isopower (as opposed to a road race or crit) then it is really your CdA that you need to worry about.  The good news is that as you lose weight, your CdA will usually decrease so you will go faster.

This may be of interest (check the Col de la Tipping Point) - http://www.cervelo.com/en_us/engineering/tech-presentations/



http://triathlonbikesonline.com/reviews/triathlon-bicycles-do-slow-riders-save-more-time

Shane

That's cool, but it's incorrect and any beginner triathlete reading this thread should know that. Aerodynamics could care less how fast you are moving, it still applies. It's basic physics. If you are moving through a substance, that substance creates resistance. The less resistance the better.

And in regards to aero trumping weight, that is also correct. The weight of the rider is variable, however the aerodynamics of a bike frame, wheel set, helmet, whatever are fixed. Assuming the same rider under the same conditions, the more aerodynamic set up will be faster than the less aero, heavier one.