Aerodynamic Bike Positioning Finally Made Simple.

It looks like he's sitting up enjoying a bowl of soup.

Hmmm. Good question. Here is a link to their fit rate page:

 http://www.ride-faster.com/services/wind-tunnel/

I had a delightful lunch on a patio somewhere in California last summer with the lads from FASTER but we chatted about other things. I never did find out what an average fit cost. Based on the above link info it appears to be $599 per hour.

Was actually thinking of heading up there, until I saw the price! (Yes, I know wind tunnels expensive. But it's always still a shock ) Would've cut my bike buying budget badly. But I have heard the wind tunnel is one of the most effective ways of improving. Pretty cool that they have it in-house. Maybe more places will do this in the future? Lowering cost a bit?

My guess is no.

Well, he was trying to, but have you ever tried to eat soup in a wind tunnel?  It turns out to be very very difficult.

I think we will eventually see regional wind tunnel test facilities specifically for cyclists, maybe 4 or five around the US.

Most local bike dealers, even larger ones, simply don't have the financial resources to do this. Even worse, if they could generate the capital through cash or credit they likely could not support the revenue stream through an adequate enough cash flow. It may be hard for them to keep the tunnel full of bike fits. That said, as prices go down the volume goes up. You know the concept.

The failure on the part of the US bike industry is that consumers are "trained" to be comfortable with spending $1000-$2500 and much more for a nice bike but they are adverse to spending large sums on bike fit and position. There are a few reasons for this:

1. You can't "hold" bike fit and position in your hand. It isn't a "hard thing", it doesn't feel tangible enough to justify $500-$1500 for most people. ("I could buy a whole bike for that!") 

2. There is so much conflicting information on fit and position it is difficult for consumers to reach a consensus. The current default dogma is, "Well... it's a matter of opinion".

3. Fit is dynamic. It isn't one and done. Your fit and position change over time as fitness changes.

4. Dealers are their own worst enemy. So many dealers say, "Oh, I can fit you. I've been riding for years and we have triath-aloners in here all the time. I can just take a look at you on the bike for free if you buy it from me. There is no need to pay $100 for a bike fitting." Dealers haven't unilaterally figured out fit is a tangible service to be trained in, learn and develop and then sell. A free bike fit is usually worth every penny charged: nothing.

A very impressive facility (the wind tunnel), but unfortunately I think it may become obsolete soon.

When the 'portable wind tunnel' (sometimes known as Chung on a stick) is developed and then available for sale, I think it will have a huge impact on both positioning and bike technology. It will be (there is just no other word for it), revolutionary.

Isn't that what the ibike aero combined with a direct powermeter is offering? The ability to get real time feedback on your aero position?

San Diego LSWT is about the same price....so nothing revolutionary here...yet.....

Also, bike fit isn't nearly as complicated or difficult to figure out as some make it out to be.

"Also, bike fit isn't nearly as complicated or difficult to figure out as some make it out to be."

I absolutely agree with this statement.

A wind tunnel is an investment, and been around for a while. It's not coincidence that several sharp folks have come up with a way to avoid that cost and develop fit protocols that, for the vast majority of the population, get fairly close to optimal position - the proposition is that you get 90% of the benefit for 10% of the investment. Solid business.

There will always be a segment of the population that will pay the cash to gain the extra 10% of benefit. I'd venture that that's a very small segment...pros and sponsored amateurs will / may be able to get tunnel time, most amateurs won't pay that much for a little speed, as they can get the 90% from existing fit protocols.

Plus, from a commercial standpoint, the remainder of amateurs have mostly 'free' fits at bike shops, provided they buy a bike, that get them that 90% benefit. Technology may enable it, but I see a teeny, teeny market here. The price point needs to drop down to a level where it's hideable in the price of the bike - just like the current fit is - without impacting sales. 

Not anytime soon.  

Dude, how fricken awesome would it be if a bike shop had a wind tunnel in it and you could test different bikes in the tunnel before you buy....I envision it much like a golf store with a bay that allows you to hit clubs before you buy....

Now THAT would be awesome.

Interesting and thanks for posting.  I wonder if it would be possible to create a scaled down windtunnel that was not at precise as the two most people use today but still provided value.

I have been debating going myself.  But neither is close so I have transportation, lodging and transporting my bike expense.  If I had a place within reasonable driving distance I would already have gone and would be looking at going my second time.

Sure.

Probably not. The value of a wind tunnel is almost completely determined by its precision: you can't measure small improvements or differences due to yaw unless you have precision. You don't need a wind tunnel to identify big humungous gross effects. You go to a wind tunnel for subtle things.