If you’ve ever competed in a triathlon, even a Sprint distance event, chances are you’ve seen that guy or gal…. the one that has the aero-everything bike set up. You know, the newest aero helmet, the aero hydration set-up, deep-dish aero wheel on the front and an aero disk style wheel on the back, aero bars, aero brake set-up and levers, and don’t forget the shaved legs (I gotta admit I shave mine too). You might also realize that in order to have all of these aero upgrades, that person more-than-likely owns significant stock in Apple-Mac or took out a 2nd mortgage on their home to buy these things, because aero ain’t cheap my friends.
Back as a 14 year old aspiring NASCAR driver, I scraped together every penny I could through yard sales, recycling aluminum cans, car washing and grass cutting until I had enough money to buy my first race car (a 1975 Olds Cutlass, I’ve seen tanks smaller than this thing). When I finally could afford the engine, which I found out the hard way that Oldsmobile parts were considerably more expensive than Chevy or Ford, I had a family friend help me get it up and going. I’ll never forget what he told me in terms of going faster. He said something along the lines of “speed takes money…. How fast you wanna go?” Well, let’s just say my aspiring NASCAR career was short-lived and I didn’t have the money to go very fast in those days (some things never change). Funny thing is, 20 years later, I still find those words to be true now as a triathlete. Speed does take money when it comes to increasing speed and reducing the amount of power needed to maintain a higher speed in the cycling leg of a triathlon. Despite Lance Armstrong’s assertion that it isn’t the bike, it’s the rider (we can all agree that fitness is the single greatest factor in bike speed), aero items can make a positive impact on overall cycling times. In his book, “Triathlon Training,” Michael Finch compiles a list of aero items and their time savings over a 25 mile cycling Time Trial. You might be surprised at some of the results:
- Removing the water bottle and cage: 26 seconds time savings
- Shaved Legs 7 seconds
- Lycra Shoe Covers 13 seconds
- Aero Helmet 47 seconds
- Deep Dish aero wheel (Front) 44 seconds
- Disk Wheel (Back) 33 seconds
- Clipless Pedals 9 seconds
- Aero Brakes and Levers 18 seconds
I researched and found that most sources agree that aero bars can offer time savings of anywhere from 60 to 120 seconds per 25 miles. Using a true Time Trial or Triathlon geometry bike can save you even more time.
All of these things added together could certainly have a positive impact on your bike split times, yet again cost is always a factor. Simple and cost-effective upgrades include clip-on aero bars (as cheap as $50), an aero hydration set up (as cheap as $20), clipless pedals (as cheap as $40) and a bladed 24 spoke wheel-set (I got mine on eBay for a little over $100). I pride myself on being a relatively fast, budget-minded triathlete and I can say with certainty that these cost-effective aero upgrades have made a noticeable impact on my bike times, with the most positive impact coming from my wheel set upgrade. Consider trying them as a starting point if you’re looking for a little extra speed and don’t forget to shave those legs too. Who knows, maybe you’ll see a nice little improvement in your bike splits this season or at the very least, look faster!
Stay Focused and Happy Training!
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