AERO CARBON WING

The Ultimate in Rear Hydration Systems.

TWICE AS FAST: Extensive aero research offers nearly twice the time savings over previous generations.
INCREASED ADJUSTABILITY: From the carrier to the cage, all optimizing speed and bottle access.
INCREASED BOTTLE RETENTION: Cages re-positioned for optimum retention and easier access.
CARBON BEAM: Special proprietary layup helps reduce cage vibration.
WIDER COMPATIBILITY: Fits the widest range of saddle rails by mounting on the saddle's horizontal rail.
ROAD AND BOTTLE USAGE: Approved for pavement roads with 740 mL (25 oz) bottles or smaller.

MSRP: $198.95 - 298.95

Features Engineering Specs Installation Optional Accessories Compatibility

Aerodynamic Advantage:

Hides from the Wind
Positions your bottles and storage bag in a prime aerodynamic position behind the athlete, where air pressure and overall drag decreases. The system has been engineered with a wider bottle position than previous systems to allow free airflow around the seatpost all the while hiding the bottles behind the athlete’s thighs.
Optimized through Aerodynamic Simulation
Improved aerodynamics optimized through real world testing and over 260 Computerized Fluid Dynamic (CFD) aero simulations. The result is a system that effectively creates no additional drag while allowing airflow to quickly become streamlined and increase speed.
Fastest Yet
Nearly twice the time savings over the previous generation CARBON WING. Placing your bottles behind the saddle provides significant time savings versus mounting them on your frame. Using the AERO CARBON WING can save over 7 ¾ minutes over the course of a full distance triathlon, our quickest design by far!
Time Saving Over 180 Km (112 mi)
- 24 km/h (15 mph) – up to 7:45 min
- 32 Km/h (20 mph) – up to 5:43 min

Carrier Position:

CFD Proof
Our CFD aero simulations show that rider height and position on the saddle are major contributors to aerodynamic performance. Want to see what system setup is right for you? Check out our Engineering Tab.

Adjustable and Compatible:

Saddle Rail Adjustment
Whether you ride with your saddle nose up or down, we have you covered. Rail Bracket provides 18 degrees of adjustment allowing the Aero Carbon Wing to remain in the most aerodynamic position, parallel to the ground.
Cage Arm Adjustment
2.52 cm (1") vertical and 1.27 cm (0.5") horizontal placement options allow you to dial in the perfect ergonomic position making bottle access easier and reduce drag further.
Cage Rotation Adjustment
High position provides a full 50 degrees of cage rotation. Low position provides up to 45 degrees of cage adjustment.
Extensive Saddle Compatibility
Fits over 50 of the most popular saddles. Mounting brackets fit standard 7 mm diameter steel and titanium saddle rails.
Approved for use with bottles 26 oz and less.

Thoughtfully Designed

Hidden Repair Storage
Tucked into the underside of the beam is room for a complete repair kit without increasing drag. The perfect fit for the new AERO MINI BAG.
Quick Disassembly
Mounting bracket easily detaches from saddle rails for convenient travel packing or transfer to another bike. Simply remove 2 top bolts and loosen 2 lower and the system rotates free.
Advanced Ultra-light Construction
Engineered with an Ultra-Light Carbon Monocoque beam and 6061 T-6 and 7075 T-6 aluminum alloy cage arms for increased lateral stiffness, torsional resistance, and overall durability while keeping weight down.

Three Options

AERO CARBON WING CARRIER: Includes carbon beam, cage arms, and mounting hardware.
AERO CARBON WING SYSTEM - XENON: Includes carbon beam, cage arms, plus 2 Nylon Matrix Composite XENON cages with 8 lb of bottle grip.
AERO CARBON WING SYSTEM - GORILLA: Includes carbon beam, cage arms, plus 2 Carbon Fiber Gorilla Cages with 10 lb of bottle grip.

XLAB HERITAGE

For 30 years our Aircraft Design Engineer led, family-run business, has offered state-of-the-art racing equipment inspired by the latest advances in the Aerospace industry, and made from the finest Carbon Fiber Composites, High Strength Metal Alloys and Advanced Fabrics. The proof that XLAB’s designs are the fastest, is in the fact that over 30 World Titles have been won using XLAB equipment, no other comes close.

In the history of aerodynamic racing bicycle hydration, XLAB has no equal.

DESIGN AND TESTING APPROACH

We are extremely focused and detail oriented, when it comes to designing a new product...spending whatever time it takes to produce the perfect product that exceeds our rigid performance goals.

Over the years we have tested our prototypes in the Low Speed San Diego Wind Tunnel, at Velodromes, used the latest Aerospace Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulation Software and even used Pro Athlete and leading bike company Wind tunnel testing results in our analysis.

We prefer computer simulations because we can get results to the nearest gram of drag and can run hundreds of designs with minor variations in a single day. Wind tunnel testing is subject to the rider not changing the aero position at all, which is very difficult.

OPTIMIZING THE INSTALLATION

The simulations we have done have taken into consideration athletes from 5 ft (1.5m) to 6 ft 5 inches (1.95m). Obviously we cannot do simulations for every BMI, height and shape of riders, but we have extensive experience doing these simulations over the past decade.

We use XLAB Aqua-Shot 25 oz (739 ml) bottles, XLAB Gorilla cages and current popular saddles. The same basic athletic body is used for every simulation, but scaled to different heights and weights and run at different speeds.

1. BOTTLE SPACING. We found that the bottles need to be nestled behind the thighs thereby letting the high pressure air stream between the legs have a clear flow path. This spacing is already set for you on this new Aero Carbon Wing System.

2. POSITION ON SADDLE. Many riders sit quite forward on their saddle. This creates a gap between themselves and the system’s rear bottles which leads to turbulence behind the bottles.

Riders sitting forward on their saddles need to tilt the bottles back up to 40 degrees and this new system has such an adjustment using the slots in the Cage Arm Brackets.
Riders sitting level with the back of the saddle, having the bottles tilted 10 degrees forward will result in the lowest drag. The system can be easily adjusted to this position again using the slots in the brackets.

3. HEIGHT OF BOTTLES. It is easier for shorter riders to reach the bottles the higher they are. For riders under 5 ft 9 ins (1.75 m) the drag wash is still large enough for the bottles to be in the higher position. The system allows for the cages to have a total vertical adjustment of 1 inch (2.54 cms), ½ inch (1.2 cms) within the cage and ½ inch (1.2 cms) on the Cage Arm Brackets.

4. SADDLE TILT. Some riders ride with the saddle nose sloping downwards, and with some saddles the metal rails are not horizontal. The Rail Bracket can be adjusted so that the carbon beam is parallel to the ground in both these situations.

Approved Use

Terrain: Pavement
Bottle Size: 26 oz Bottles and smaller

Includes

AERO CARBON WING CARRIER: Includes carbon beam, cage arms, and mounting hardware.
AERO CARBON WING SYSTEM - XENON: Includes carbon beam, cage arms, plus 2 Nylon Matrix Composite XENON cages with 8 lb of bottle grip.
AERO CARBON WING SYSTEM - GORILLA: Includes carbon beam, cage arms, plus 2 Carbon Fiber Gorilla Cages with 10 lb of bottle grip.

Material

AERO CARBON WING BEAM Proprietary Layup – High Yield Carbon Fiber Composite Beam
RAIL BRACKET: Aircraft Grade 7075 T-6 Aluminum Alloy
CAGE ARM: Aircraft Grade 6061 T-6 Aluminum Alloy
XENON Cage: Nylon Matrix Composite
Gorilla cage: Proprietary Layup – High Yield Carbon Fiber Composite

Weight

AERO CARBON WING CARRIER: Beam 70 g, Hardware 138 g. Total 208 g
AERO CARBON WING SYSTEM - XENON: Beam 70 g, Hardware 138 g, 2 XENON cages 86 g, Total 294 g
AERO CARBON WING SYSTEM - GORILLA: Beam 70 g, Hardware 138 g. 2 Gorilla cages 80 g, Total 288 g

Warranty

AERO CARBON WING BEAM: Limited Lifetime Warranty
XENON Cage: 3 Year Warranty
Gorilla cage: Limited Lifetime Warranty
CAGE ARM and Rail Bracket: 1 Year Warranty

Download a PDF of the Instructions

Bag: AERO MINI BAG
The perfect sidekick for your AERO CARBON WING.

Bottle: Aqua Shot
Racing bottle for faster, measured drinking. Squeeze and squirt. High flow valve. 4 oz graduations. 740 mL (25 oz).

Inflator: Nanoflator
CO₂ inflator. Twist to inflate for 1-2 sec inflation. Fits disc wheels. 23 grams.

Inflator: Speed Chuck
CO₂ inflator. Push to inflate for under 1 second inflation. 23 grams.

Repair: Tire Levers
Ultra-strong Tire Lever Set featuring an ergonomic shape and texturized surface for extra grip!

Repair: Tri Tool Kit
10-Piece tool kit. Designed to fit all XLAB fasteners including 8 mm Nyloc nuts.

Repair: Multi-Lite 19
At an incredibly lightweight 116 grams, the MULTI LITE 19 is a compact 19 tool multi-tool set that provides you the critical tools you need, without weighing you down.

Please refer to the Compatibility Chart