3 WAYS TO SPEED UP YOUR CURRENT BIKE

Believe it or not, one of the easiest ways to lose time on the bike is to ride your bike as is. There are a few key areas on your bicycle – that if left open to the elements – end up producing a significant amount of drag and drastically slow you down.
Luckily, there’s a few easy ways to fill these slow-you-down hot spots to make sure you are reaping maximum benefit from your precious training time.
The easy chart below shows the low pressure blue areas that are the main culprits in slowing you down. They’re the prime spots to reduce drag and pick up speed by adding a few accessories.

Image courtesy of Cervelo

1. Stem Slow Downs

Excluding some of the higher-end superbikes, most stems are not level with the top tube. This leaves a significant window for swirling low pressure to take away from your speed.

A quick $25 - $50, fast-install nutrition storage upgrade like a Stealth Pocket 100 or Stealth Pocket 400c can fill this space and save nearly 123 – 156 seconds in a Full Distance race.

2. Boost Bottle Locations

The area behind the rider has the greatest potential for speed increases. Think of the significant benefits of drafting. When a rider drafts behind another rider, the rider behind has a reduction in power required due to having less drag as they are riding in the low pressure wake of the rider in front. This can be as high as a 29% drag reduction. The other result is that the rider in front also goes faster as the air sees the two riders as virtually connected and the airstream jumps the gap between the riders, causing a lower drag on the front rider.

A properly designed rear carrier like the Delta 105 or Carbon Wing can give you the benefits of a rider drafting behind you, saving 102 – 129 seconds in a Full Distance Race.

3. Increase the Speed of Your Aerobars

Properly fitted in the aero position, you are at your strongest, fastest and most powerful. But aerobars are also the prime spot for a sudden speed slow-down. A simple break from the aero position to grab a quick sip from a bottle mounted on the downtube can be an immediate brake to your speed.

How do you shore up this drag-inducing hot spot and stay hydrated?

  1. Mounting a bottle between the aerobars keeps your hydration accessible without forcing you out of the aero position to drink. Bottles with a straw like the Torpedo Bottle allow you to keep your head down and remain at optimal speed.
  2. Ensure the frontal area of the bottle mount is extremely thin like the Torpedo Versa Mount.
  3. Fill the gap between your arms as far forward as possible by positioning your computer upfront using the Torpedo Versa Computer Mount.

Drinking from a properly engineered complete aerobar hydration system like the Torpedo System 50+ or Torpedo Versa 200 or carbon fiber Torpedo Versa 500 can save anywhere from 112 – 242 seconds in a Full Distance Race.


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