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| The new Miche Graff Aero 48 wheel (Image courtesy of Miche) |
I wrote an article here detailing how many negative comments were being made about aero gear for gravel, and later on in 2020 I made the bold statement that we would see "a lot more companies jumping in on aero" products in the future.
Anyone who pays attention to gravel cycling gear now knows aero is an entrenched facet of the genre. You don't have to agree with the concepts, nor believe the benefits, but I don't think anyone can say it doesn't exist and would agree that it is here to stay.
This was not the case five years ago when comments were being made to the effect that the aero concept was merely another invention of marketers to take your money. Or, this one: "Aero doesn't matter to me because I am slow".
I'm going to make a few feathers ruffle, perhaps, but all of the negative thoughts concerning aero - whether it is merely a rude to make money, or that it doesn't matter at slower speeds, are wrong. Aero matters on gravel roads. Especially in the Mid-West. Probably in other places too. You know, wherever you have air to move through? There it matters.
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| FLO Cycling wheels on the Noble GX5 in 2020. |
Of course, there are diminishing returns, and limitations to aero exist when conditions get weird, like with heavy winds and the like, but aero is a thing for gravel and I have always believed this. So, I don't get too bent about aero this-or-that when it comes to gravel cycling. There is a place for it even for a guy like myself, who admittedly is not all that fast.
Besides, we do ride on roads, of a sort, so it only makes sense to pay attention to some aerodynamic benefits. If you can avail yourself of these benefits, why not do that? And if some of this is in components, or what you wear, like my aero helmet, then I think it deserves some consideration for all gravel cyclists.
5 comments:
One counterintuitive fact about aerodynamics - While it is true that good aerodynamics will make less difference to your SPEED as you ride more slowly, the TIME benefit over a given course is actually larger for the slower rider.
So many times battled a wind and wished for some aero bars or something to help cut thru the wind. On open fields in the midwest there is no place to hide when the wind is blowing.
@Exhausted_Auk - Interesting. So, less effort expended, I would assume, due to being out for less time across a fixed distance.
@Ari - True! This is why I feel if anyone from the High Plains through to the Mid-West ignores aero it is to their detriment.
Hey Jon from FLO Cycling here. First, thanks and yes it’s true. We’ve written about this extensively. https://blog.flocycling.com/aero-wheels/cycling-wheel-aerodynamics-how-speed-time-and-power-are-affected-by-reducing-drag/
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