Are aero helmets worth it? (Page 2)

Aero benefits of all kinds work for slower riders too.  The percentage savings are greater if you are traveling faster.  But the time savings are actually greater for the slower rider because they are on the course longer.

There's plenty of info out there on this for those interested.  In fact, Cervelo's website has a nice little presentation on it if I'm not mistaken. 

And, as an aside, weight plays a much smaller role and only noticeable when climbing and/or accelerating. 

I don't have a PhD in fluid dynamics or anything, but I'm pretty sure that bunched panties create more drag than unbunched panties, and no panties would be even faster than unbunched panties, assuming proper grooming.  That may be a discussion for ST though.

Just sayin...

P.S.  I went for aero wheels in no small part for the cool factor.  Currently researching helmets.  Thanks for the substantive responses above.

So I can't dispute things people say because they're new?  His reaction to my posting contrary information is not my problem.

Lift has nothing to do with it, and the goal of shaping things is not to have them in an airfoil shape.  Plane wings are not the same shape on the top and bottom, and that's what creates lift.  Bike tubes are symmetrical and designed solely to reduce drag, as are aero helmets.  Not sure where the "lift" you theorize is supposed to happen either.  It would be on one side of the tube (or helmet), so you'd just be pulled in that direction rather than making riding easier.

And I still have no idea what "efficiency" means in this discussion.  You reduce drag when you smooth out the airflow over bike/helmet parts.  The situation that warrants that is almost anything moving forward.  It's doesn't work at "50%" for x mph and "80%" for y mph.  It works at (essentially) all speeds.  You will notice the difference at any speed if you pay attention to your time.  This has been shown repeatedly.

Man I leave you guys alone for a few days and this just spirals out of control!

First off, I have a BS in Aerospace and coaching certifications from USAT and USAC so I feel *somewhat* qualified to comment on both sides of the argument.

You always have 4 opposing forces acting on an object: Lift, Thrust, Weight, and Drag. The theory behind most of the current bike designs and accesories is to reduce the Weight and Drag, therefore increasing Speed at lower Thrust (Power) making the rider more efficient.

The percentage of efficiency is a function of these 4 forces. You can use the formula for coefficient of drag (along with some other long mathmatical equations) to figure out your exact gains. Basically you are going to see a higher percentage of efficiency at higher speeds, however a rider at a lower speed may see a larger time gain due to the fact (as mentioned before) they are out on the course for a longer period of time.

We teach in our clinics that you should stay aero anytime you are above 13 mph (climbing a hill for example) since you are still getting benefit from being out of the wind.

Bottom line is that an aero helmet or wheels aren't going to make you go faster by themselves, but they do increase your overall efficiency on the bike which if nothing else will leave you a bit more fresh for the run.