Which Pro Has The Fastest Aero Bike? Part 1 | Cycling Weekly
Вставка
- Опубліковано 27 тра 2017
- Who has the fastest bike: Ewan, Groenewegen, Nibali, Cavendish, Kittel, Degenkolb, Sagan, Kristoff or Dumoulin? Read on to find out... | Subscribe to Cycling Weekly here: ua-cam.com/users/CyclingW...
It is normal practice for a bike manufacturer to claim its aero bike is the fastest out there.
Clearly they can’t all be the fastest, so we decided to try and find out which one actually is. To do this, we teamed up with aerodynamic testing specialists WattShop and headed to Derby Velodrome to perform some testing in a controlled environment.
All the aero bikes we have here are leading models from their respective brands and all are WorldTour framesets used by the pros.
So far we have tested what we consider to be eight of the most sought after aero bikes on the market. If demand is sufficient, we will perform a third round of testing with another batch of aero bikes and update the results on this page.
Let us know in the comments which bikes you would like to see tested.
The bikes tested to date are:
Trek Madone Race Shop Ltd
Specialized S-Works Venge ViAS
Cervelo S5
Giant Propel Advanced SL
Canyon Aeroad CF SLX
Bianchi Oltre XR4
Scott Foil
Merida Scultura
How we tested
We travelled to Derby Velodrome to perform aero testing on all the bikes in a controlled environment. This was done in a bid to quantitatively find out which of these bikes is the fastest.
Aero-testing specialists WattShop were on hand to help us record and interpret power data during our velodrome testing. Each bike was ridden at a target power of 380 watts.
The reason for this, is that this equated to a speed of roughly 45-48kph, which is considered the industry standard for aero testing.
At this speed, data is more consistent and repeatable than at lower velocities. Furthermore, this was a power output that was sustainable and reproducible for our test rider, national pursuit champion, Dan Bigham.
The WattShop software is able to interpret the power and speed data to give a drag coefficient for each bike. Slight differences in the power were accounted for using the WattShop software.
Prior to each run, temperature, air pressure and system weight were recorded. A coefficient of rolling resistance was measured and calculated. By subtracting the watts required to overcome drivetrain friction and rolling resistance, we are left with the ‘aero watts’ - our comparative measure (the watts required to drag at 45kph).
These are presented for each bike for three different riding positions - the hoods, the drops and riding in a low aero position on the hoods.
For consistency, the bikes were set up in as close a riding position to each other as possible and the same wheels were used in all the bikes. The reason for this is that we wanted the variable to be the bike frame itself and not the rider or wheelset.
The wheels were a set of Fast Forward F9Rs with a PowerTap G3 rear hub for power measurement. For reference, 1W equates to 0.1 second per kilometre, as a rule of thumb.
Read more at www.cyclingweekly.com/news/pro...
More at:
Cycling Weekly: www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/
Facebook: / cyclingweekly
Instagram: / cyclingweeklymagazine
Google+: plus.google.com/1035528902685...
Twitter: / cyclingweekly - Спорт
Interesting that they put the Propel last claiming that it was not designed for use with a bottle despite Giant doing exactly that and the results showed it was actually second fastest with a bottle.
The conclusion they have come to here is complete nonsense. Firstly they don't say explicitly what position they were in when the bottle was added but from analysing the video it appears it was in the hoods position.
They say @ 8:50 that putting a bottle on the Vias saves nearly 3 watts and the numbers are 301.6 on the hoods and 298.6 with a bottle - 3 watts less than the hoods position. Next they say the Madone lost 4 watts and the difference between the hood 301.6 and the bottle 305.6 is 4 watts. I conclude the bottle measurement is on the hoods with a bottle.
Here the Propel went from 343 to 300 watts. Giant made a point about saying it was designed to use a bottle as an aero feature. Once that is added the Propel is second fastest on the hoods so their design bears true because the difference is massive.
Or does this test get even worse?
They say the Giant lost 2 watts with a bottle. The aero hoods position is 298 and with a bottle 300, an increase of 2 watts. Now are they testing one bike with a bottle in the aero hoods position and the others with a bottle in the hoods position? What a bullshit test.
earthstick this test seems rather nebulous.
that's because you guys arent readung correctly.
its about the lowest watts needed to maintain 45 kph = fastest bike.
they lost 2 watts with the bottle from 298 going to 300 because before the bottle, it required an output of 298 watts to maintain 45kph. knce they put the bottle in, the required output is 300 watts. which means you have to put out 300 watts to maintain 45 kph with the bottle as ippose to 298 watts without the bottle.
the numbers are fine except their standjng as thats kind subjective as it deoends in what youre wanting out of the bike.
personally, i typically ride with a bottle so my top 3 is venge, giant, and canyon
I think the giant was the only one tested with the bottle on the aero position. On the others they put the bottle on the hoods position.
Great comparison! Would love to see more! Pinarello F10, Bianchi Oltre, Colnago C60/Concept, Ridley Noah, Scott Foil... so many bikes to test!!!
247th The F10 is really missing here. How can you not test Team Sky's bikes?
247th pinarello f10 is the fastest bike review by tour magazine ，using wind tunel
His pronunciation of Peter Sagan is painful ..
I would Absolutely love to see the Bianchi Oltre, Look 795 Aerolight, Pinarello Dogma F10, and maybe some less pro bikes such as the Fuji Transonic and the Willier Cento 10 Air
Other users mentioned some flaws in the methods. However, I think that there is something really wrong with the Propel's data because it's so bad that probably an entry level aluminum bike would score better. Seems not even like an aero bike looking at these data
If you look around other tests, the Propel has consistently scored worse than it's competitors. Search for "'16 Tour Mag Aero Test" or "New aero test: 12 aero frames vs 12 "unaero" light frames". With the 2nd one, remember that Cervelo and Specialized are old
S5 consistently test well head on, the Propel is usually close to the Vias
This is a good exercise but by no mean scientific: 1- most powermeter have a 2% margin of error, that is potentially 12 watts at 300 watts 2- any slight change in the rider position will have a non negligible impact on the power required to maintain the nominal speed of the test. 3- I only have two points to make :-)
Great points! People always forget that the most important part of science is replication, not comparing single cases.
2% accuracy is probably absolute error, shouldn't matter as long as conditions are consistent throughout the tests. It's not like the powermeter would read 306 one second jump to 294 the next when you're actually holding 300W.
I'd still take the Propel home, it's such a good looking bike.
Great comparison, would love to see a video like this about light weight bikes
This was a great video and well thought out! I'd like to see this done with non-aero race bikes like the Tarmac, TCR, Ultimate CF SLX, R5, Emonda, and a Pinarello F10
I would be curious to see the look 795 !!!
Where's the Scott FOIL?
Excellent video
I really look forward to when you add the results from the following:
Pinarello, Ridley & Bianchi
Awesome
This video is popular and I like what I see!
Really enjoyed this. Would love to see a control bike used though, some non-aero frame that's really popular. Can be something modern, but traditional, doesn't have to be a BSO.
Love this! What sunglasses was Dan wearing on the bike??
cool test guys. Thanks for posting this. Interesting to see the power change from position to position. I hope you don't mind my chiming in here but I think it is worth pointing out that according to your test, the different positions have different results for the rankings. Canyon is fastest in the drops and the Venge wins in the aero w/ bottle (which probably simulates a breakaway closest) while the Propel takes second in that same scenario.
amazing video! can you do another one that includes other bikes like Merida reacto
Pinarello f10 , Ridley Noah , Scott foil, BMC tmr
(-:In particular the Reacto, I must know if I have better bike than my friends)
Would like to see how your aero bike of the year last year - the EC130E from Planet X fares.
I'd certainly like to know how the Fuji Transonic compares, it being so widely available and likely more discounted?!
Fantastic video, would love to see all the current peleton aero bikes doing the same test. Interesting the Trek is slower with a biddon, not sure it deserved top place because of the 4 watts loss.
40W different? I don't think it is possible, there is not much different even compareing with a bike 50 years ago.
Not possible... rider position was different on each bike, due to different head tube lenght and setup. Giant looks as having the highest front, compered to others. Look at S5 slamed stem, seems like -15 degrees... not objective test IMO
40 watts is a LOT yes... I got a propel myself. But to say 40 Watt differance with the Canyon. I just cannot believe that...
In what position were they cycling when they tested the bottle? Because the propel's result seems odd.
Thats insane differences! You should test a climbing bike like the tcr too, just for comparison
Looking at vid 2 and 3 I noted that the control between 2 and 3 was close, but the between 1 and 2 the venge numbers were lower, so I adjusted the first figures by factoring the first results by 1.209 and got this list.(Only for the hood). Maybe this helps some one. Reacto looks pretty good now don't you think.
364.6 Trek Madone
364.6 Venge Vias
371.9 Aeroad SLX
373.8 Cervelo s5
414.7 Propel ASL
364 Venge Vias
369 Bianchi Oltre
362 Scott Foil
387 Scultura
389.9 Scultra
342.6 Reacto
385.9 Tarmak
405.9 Super six
Pleeease test the BMC TMR 01!!! It’s an older design but I bet it’s to hangs with the best.
Would've been interesting to see a comparison of team spec bikes. As in building the bike with the same components that the teams use.
when you test the bikes with bottle, was that aero hoods position?
In my view, based on this test the venge would take 1st place as in the real world we all ride w/ a bottle (unless it is a finishing sprint).
However, Madone is about 1kg lighter than the Venge and more comfortable , so it is probably a better all rounder, which makes me wonder why trek still uses other models on the races.
Would like to see how the italian brands compare to these results!
Nice video guys!
A very interesting test indeed! But in what position were they cycling when they tested the bottle?
Great video! But really sad that you did not put the F10 in it.
Great testing for bikes with OME. BUT WHAT IF WE CHANGED THE WHEELS AROUND? Do you still think the Madone and Venge would come out on top? MMMMM interesting.
Can you guys also include FELT AR FRD on your next test...
Yess please do the bianchi oltre xr4
What is the standard deviation in the tests?
Good stuff. I wonder how "normal" bike would have stacked against these.
I need to work on my aero position more if it makes that much difference.
LisaPet - 100% agree. people forget, as casual riders the best improvements are almost always in the human element. fitness, fat percentage, aero positioning. the hardest grams to save are at the grocery store. I just love food too much to ever be pro. :)
I actually did a test last week....2016 Madone 9....2016 Colnago C60....2011 Sworks SL3..............I did two laps totaling 4.7 miles....the C60 was ridden 1st, Madone 9 2nd, and the SL3 last. the Madone was 40 seconds faster than the C60 and the SL3. I found myself going 2-3mph faster on many of the sections of the route with the Madone. No doubt the Madone is faster. But the $$$ is keeping me from buying that advantage....40 seconds 13:52 min vs 14:32 min...40 seconds is a lot, a real lot.
Riding against a control non-aero bike would be good too :)
If you get the chance to do another test, i would like to se the Scott Foil.
Would you not get different results on the open road?
scott foil vs venge vias! pleasee!! want to know, cuz getting either this year.
So the Propel and Vias are the two fastest (most efficient) biked when they are carrying a bottle? Is that how to interpret the numbers?
correct. The lower the watts needed to maintain 45kph, the more efficient the bike is.
EXCEPT, as mentioned above, the testers appear to have compared 4 apples to an orange - 4 bikes ridden on hoods with bottle vs Propel in aero position with bottle.
Soooo, the numbers would indicate (conveniently ignoring power meter variability) that the Venge-Schmenge is in fact the most aero bike in real world operation (i.e. with a bottle and trying to be aero for periods of time), except maybe in the sprint position, which is not tested.
MADD video lads, socks a little high for my liking tho!!
I'm pretty sure that the software has an error of more than just a couple of watts. I've worked on problems like these, and it is monumentally difficult to confidently state drag, even under these semi-controlled conditions. I would ignore any differences of less than 5 or 10 watts.
My coach just had his bike from when he was on the Livestrong junior development team stolen. That looked soo much cooler than these.
If you do it a gain could you test tt bike as it would be nice to see who comes out on top as at this time the clam is the giant is the best
What was the first song. It was really nice
FFWD Wheels on the Giant have sometimes been tested to be slower than box section wheels
i love CW videos!!
How come the Venge Vias get different results between the two tests, part1 and part 2? Are they measured differently? I am most curious how the Scott Foil measures upp among all the bikes so a comparison between bikes in Part 1 and Part 2 would be great :)
Shall you make testing
mountain climbing bike
“Ok so watts next.”
Best part of the video
I think Cérvelo is the best aero bike in the world right now but the s-works is not far behind.
Is the Propel the new or old model?
is that Dennis from it's always sunny in philadelphia ?
what about the colnago concept?
Love Trek! Just bought my first road bike, a Trek Domane
If you wanted to determine which pro rider rides the more aero bike, you should've tested with the wheels they ride with, and with water bottles. Also Kittel rides the disc brake version of the Vias.
Strong sock game!
Hang on, on the drops and aero hoods which is where you would be attacking from when aero dynamics matter most the aeroad was doing better than the venge and the madone.
I wonder how much of the difference is down to the handlebars alone and not the frames. I'd imagine a lot.
It's very impressive that trek won considering how they focused on the "real world" when designing the bike with all of the side winds.
maybe you can make a video about stiffnes of climbing bike on a steep climb when all bikes 6.8 kilos.
Please test: Oltre, TMR01, Concept, Nitrogen, Dogma
Tom dumoulin win giro 2017 with slowest bike
Tom Dumoulin never rides a Propel only a TCR. Far better looking btw.
Has anyone ridden a Propel at any event this year? It's getting updated in a few weeks ...
Sunweb dumped the propel this season and only ride TCR's
That's great! I've always liked Giants from before they were so huge!
Giant makes many of the big names bikes globally including Trek and Specialized.
I'm confused. The "With bottle" figures are all over the place. Why didn't you ride in the same position with the bottle each time?
why is there no difference between hood and drop position power ??
John Degenkolb won Paris-Roubaix 2015 on a Giant Defy Advanced SL averaging 43kph over 254km, he should be able to clean-up with the Madone, once he's fit and ready to go.
Bianchi Oltre, Colnago Concept, Ridley Noah, Scott Foil, DeRose SK Pininfarina
Winner based on bottle: (1st) Specialized Venge (2nd) Giant Propel (3rd) Canyon Aeroad (4th) Trek Madone (5th) Cervelo S5
I would of like to see it compared to a GC bike. Like a tarmac or a Emonda
What about Caleb Ewan's Scott Foil???
Wouldn't the second place be the faster in real road the first place when the bottle is applied???
The real takeaway is that they are very close
What about Bianchi XR4.
Did they test repeatability on this experiment? The data seems pretty inconsistent.
Which pro has the fastest TT bike?
Error in the results. No way the propel will measure like that
I got stitching because of that track my friend got
a wooden plank in his shoulder but it's still extremely good
Do you have exact the same Reach and Stack? Or this date is a fake again?
I did and it's crazy fast. Compared to my other bike (Émonda SLR9) it's night and day. Still have to pedal though...
guys, considering also comfort, weight and handling, madone is clear winner.
Peter: Apart from an off-hand comment by the rider, you got this video's "clear winner" insight how?
George Hugh well it performed fastest
+philip You mean in bike races without water bottles...otherwise it was 3rd. Even at its best, the Madone's 0.7% difference is well within any margin of error for this test, so it isn't significant statistically (i.e. not proven "faster" at all).
I think that the Venge with a water bottle, the Roval wheels, and the straight handle bar (as most pro riders use it) would've been much, much faster
If trek hire peter sagan to ride a modone he will be superman
Where can one buy those socks? Asking for a friend.
Haha!!! "for a friend" :)
yoog rule28.com, however this design is team issue so you can get different colour
Aww, thanks for the info anyway.
the vias comes with a handlebar without the rise as well, wired should have ridden that model for a more fair comparison. anyway really close so that the only real takeaway.
I love those Ffwd wheels
The water bottle position keeps changing!
Argon 18 nitrogen pro, bianchi oltre xr4, pinarello f10, Scott foil, Ridley Noah
Canyon measures their handlebars differently. They measure inside in stead of heart to heart like the others do.
So in fact the Canyon handlebars are not less wide!
Harm: So if we're comparing basketball players and myself, if I usually measure MY height while standing on a ladder, by your logic I'm "not less" tall??
George you misunderstand what he is saying. its like measuring from you eyebrow to your ankle. you'll read smaller than you actually are.
+William I had assumed from the narration that they had just actually measured the handlebars (as any thorough tester would), but you could well be right that they read it off the packaging and accepted it at that.
Experiment is as good as interpretation of its result. Who the fuck rides bike without bottle?
Surely this is invalid - unless they all have the same stack and reach you are mostly testing bike fit?
no ridley noah?
I'm surprised to see a Driveline chainring there.
to be fair to the Cervelo is a slight slacker position.
Reacto please!
The bike doesn't change when you change position. You should've only tested one position. Very interesting test but with such a small margin you can't conclude anything at all at the top due to measurement errors and inconsistency.
MeridaReacto please
What's the function of the first dude? The guy he introduces knows the science, speaks just as well, and rides the bikes at 380W. The video would be more aero without dude 1.
George Hugh Olly is a well know CW presenter and is almost the face of the brand. It would be strange seeing a video like this without him as he tends to do a lot of the experiment videos.
Those socks are dangerously high
now run the Madone against the Dogma, C60, Oltre and Stork Aero even Reacto.
Nobody in the Sunweb use the propel, Tom uses the TCR
I don't get it you guys say the bottle measurement is all that matters in real life yet you rank them based on the non bottle data
Your chart is totally wrong as it relates to the bottles. You say it saves watts for most bikes but instead they add huge watts. And the Propel is suddenly the second fastest with a bottle even though it adds watts instead of saving watts??? Please correct me if I'm wrong.
With the Giant, the bottle test was on the hoods in aero, while on all the others it was in the hoods upright position?
At least that's what I can conclude from the numbers.
In the final table, it looks like either the Giant is gaining 43 watts by using a bottle alone, or the other brands are losing 12-18 watts by using a bottle. I understand the drag of the bottle may be independent of the drag produced by the rider's position, but this is still a shit way to conduct an experiment and also to show it on a table. By looking at just the table, the Giant looks like the fastest bike because everyone rides with a bottle. But the bottle numbers aren't comparable because they are in different position for the Giant only. Or was it some random position of the 3 for each bikes bottle test?
#journalistsdoscience