AeroCamp Testing at the Velodrome
Quick Numbers are my Cda went from .2524 to .2299.... This equates to 18ish watts savings or 8ish minutes savings for an IM bike split.
1. Base Run cda .2524
2. Moved Saddle 2cm forward cda .2444 (better)
3. Changed stem from 30/70 to 0/110 cda .2410 (better)
4. angled extensions up cda .2328 (better)
5. angled extensions up more cda .2405 (worse)
6. moved extenstions back to #4 run and added P09 helmet cda .2408 (worse than #4)
7. tried Giro Selector helmet cda .2358 (better than P09 but still not as good as #4 with Rudy Wingspan)
8. re-do run #4 to validate cda .2343 (damn close enough)
9. wear LG M2 Tri-Suit cda .2299 (best yet and out of time)
Had a blast riding fixie track bikes and learning about the track. Mostly what I learned is nothing is the same for everybody. I tested so poorly with the P09 helmet on they shut down the run early... Helmets, clothes, positions, hydration, gear all tests differently for everybody. One thing I learned and I would have bet my life against it is that a behind the seat bottle usually tests faster. I did not actually test this but one guy did and it was worth 2-3 watts. I really wanted that P09 to work for me since it was really comfy and I liked it. I also really liked a Kiwami shirt , was so comfy and I like the company but it was so wrinkly in the aero position it wasnt even worth testing.... Now that I have been through it once I think I would get a lot more out of it the next time through and would much more prepared to quickly go from one test to another.
Was it worth it? Well I suppose for this "Type A Triathlete" looking for minutes YES... Dollar cost in terms of "possible" total seconds or minutes saved is certainly off the charts.... Applying this to real life over the length of an IM bike split still remains to be seen.. But I am a definite believer in the testing process and data results.
Comments
http://alphamantis.com/services/
Very cool!.......and something I need badly.......
I think I am going to have to pay the fee and get this done too!
BTW, the last thing the competition needs is a faster Cronk! Holy...............~!
SS
Hey Tim,
Thanks for the detail. I'm absolutely going to do this in early June, after IMSG, ToC, ~3mo of stretching, body comp improvements, incremental upgrades made to the P3 (or put a bunch of options in a box and uncable the bike so I can swap out aerobars, stems, brakes, etc very quickly.
Planning to put this on the calendar and push the dates to the EN locals: Dino, Peter, Jonathan, and Chris would be on the short list. With enough interest we could make this an EN "thing", but I absolutely want to take better advantage of having this facility in my backyard.
Are you available for a call sometime? I'd like to chat about the mechanics of the group testing, as I'd be doing this with 4-7 people I expect.
Its certainly worth it for anybody willing to part with large sums of money to gain seconds/minutes on the bike .... But for you SoCal peeps you'd be absolutely crazy NOT to .... Specially if you've already had a bike fit by Jim you'd be ahead of the game and probably save several runs at least...
Are there any other places that offer this not in CA or AZ? I did a quick Google search and came up with nothing.
Jeremy,
The testing system is made by Alphamantis in Canada. It requires an indoor track for testing. I believe they are only setup in the US here in LA and in Philly.
http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/05/aerotesting-alphamantis-system.html
Ero is a "user" of the Alphamantis system, and their home base is the track in CA. However, Alphamantis, either via other users, or in running the show themselves, do set up their gear and do aero testing at tracks worldwide: they were just product testing with Garneau (and performance testing with a cdn track rider) at the Mattamy Velodrome outside of Toronto last week, and are regularly back and forth to tracks in Europe. You might want to check into the Alphamantis site itself (or reach out to them) to get the most up-to-date info.
But for whatever its worth, I think Ero in its home location is a very very good bet ... you get access to a retul system for a fit report, have a good range of fit tools (and a broad sample of aero gear) on hand, and it's a quick dash out from LAX. It would make for a long day, but it would be worthwhile flying into LA for the session alone.
Jeremy,
I talked to Tim yesterday and emailed the LA Sleeper Cell. I can keep you in the loop on that if you're interested in coming out.
You said "a behind the seat bottle usually tests faster". Faster than what? (aerobottle on the front, bottles on the frame, both?)
Tim said that Jim (the tester guy) said that putting "something" behind your seat "usually" saved a couple watts. However, I'm sure there's a range of that "something" that's good or bad. For example, a single bottle or saddlebag tucked in tight to your saddle where you keep your tools vs a big honkin' XLab with 2 bottles, tool bag, tubular tires, etc.
One thing to consider is that this process identifies (1) the best bike setup for you (ie, where you hang bottles, tools, aerobar position/tilt, helmet, etc) and (2) the best riding position. IE, head like _this_, hands like _this_, etc. However, in the end, it's about how long/for how much of your ride can you sustain this "ideal for you" riding position. As you can imagine, 10 laps of the track is quite different from 112 miles on a crowded IM bike course and anything that takes you out of the position begins to separate your bike split from your potential bike split.
But at the end of the day this process can be used to identify the best stuff for you to use, and where to hang it all on your bike, and your best riding position that, ideally, becomes your go-to default position on race day. The net is that I imagine if they calculate an 8-10' IM bike split savings for you, the ideal reality is probably more like 5-6' due to the reasons above.
What I'm interested in, by organizing and doing this as a group, is that 4-5 people can coordinate beforehand to bring different flavors of helmets, bottle systems, tool systems, etc to try out a bunch of stuff while spreadloading the cost of sampling many different options.