Aero road bikes have been around for a while now. They had a little dip in popularity, but for 2022 they are back with a vengeance. Many of the big name companies are busy updating their aero frames or some, such as Cervelo, are entirely overhauling their aero bike range.
As you ramp up your speed on a bike, more and more of your power is used to overcome aerodynamic drag. That may seem to be an obvious statement, but if you are a slower rider, you can still make big savings by going aero. In fact, your gains may even be bigger than those of the fast riders. So aero might be good for Peter Sagan, but it could be great for us mere mortals.
Aero road bike sums
These savings are made due to physics and a bit of maths.
Power to Overcome Aerodynamic Drag= ½*(air_density)*CdA*V_wind^2*V_road.
This equation tells us about what power you need to overcome aerodynamic drag. There are parts of this that you can’t change. You can’t change air density. You can’t change wind speed. You can change your CdA though.
CdA is the coefficient of drag multiplied by your frontal area. How much of you is in the wind. The Cd part is how slippery you and your bike are, the air just moving around you. The A part of the equation is how big you are. The reason why pros slam their stems and get low.
Anything that sticks in the wind increases this number. Your top being loose, bigger number. Your brake cables flapping in the wind, bigger number. Your frame not being aero, bigger number. If this number gets larger, you will need to be putting out more watts just to go at the same speed as you were before. Get an aero road bike and make your life easier.
Why would you want to do that? You could be faster. You could get home quicker. All by buying a nice new aero road bike. How does this help you if you were slower though? The answer is if your aero road bike helps lower your CdA you will be using less power to overcome the air around you. Your power is now pushing you further down the road than it previously did.
Aero road bikes are back
Going fast is why aero is back, I don’t think it ever went away though to be honest. Look at the pro-peloton now they are all riding those lovely air cutting aero bikes. It is also being pushed by brands building their own wind tunnels, running Computational Fluid Dynamic design processes, and working with motorsports partners to build the most aerodynamic bikes available.
Especially, due to the pandemic outbreak in 2020, the demand for Aero road bikes is rising rapidly. By 2021, it will be difficult for you to buy affordable, high-quality Aero road bikes.Even if you can buy aero frames and aero wheels, the groupsets are very difficult to find.
We still decided to take a look at the best recommendation aero road bikes 2021. Bikes that we feel are going to set the ground alight and help you cut through the air as if you were a hot knife. These aero bikes are from some of the best manufacturers, and these bikes are the pinnacle of their respective companies designs.
Aero Cervelo S5
The Cervélo S5 epitomises aero. There's no doubt that it is a very fast racing machine, with Cervélo claiming that this iteration has pretty much maxed out the aerodynamic efficiencies allowed under the current UCI regulations.
Cervelo is the company that started the aero game when they released the Soloist in 2002. It may have been made of aluminium, but it heralded where carbon fibre bike design was going. For 2019 they are back with a new aero design.
One of the first things you will notice is the bar and stem combo. The V-shaped stem has a certain love it/loathe it quality. Cervelo claims this design to the fastest stem through the air. Only time will tell if this will catch on or if people will prefer standard stem designs.
The S5 is carrying on from its previous version and still has the well-constructed design and tube shapes that we would expect from the masters of the aero bike.
REASONS TO BUY：
- Weight is impressive for an aero bike
- Great handling
- Comfortable ride quality
Trek Madone SLR 9 Disc
You can now tell the focus of bike companies is on aero bikes when you look at the new Madone. The Madone was previously Trek’s lightweight racing option. It has now evolved into a pure aero bike.
The interesting part on the highly Kamm tailed aero bike is that it now comes with Trek’s IsoSpeed. A little adjustable shock damper at the top tube/seat tube junction. You can use it to set how firm you want the bike to feel. It works to take the worst stings out of the road.
The Madone looks great in its new guise, and it is great to see a bike evolve with the times to keep up with the aero bike trend.
The A22 must be aero as it says so in its name. One of the best qualities of ICAN is that they name their products for the task they will be performing. No need to second guess what you are buying. With A22 you are buying their new suave and sophisticated aero road bike.
This model is designed to cut through the air with the ease of a British spy making his way through Eastern Europe. The bike has tube shapes that are lovingly constructed to help the bike overcome aerodynamic drag and save you those all-important watts. The road frame does not flex when put under power. It just carries on doing its job.
Constructed from high-end Toray T700 carbon fibre, with internal cable routing, and featuring a massive BB86 bottom bracket area you know this bike will be fast. To make sure you can handle a bike this fast the aero headtube is sculpted into a tapered shape to make sure that you have the best possible steering precision as you ride.
You can expect to see these bikes everywhere in 2021. Two thousand nineteen will be the year that everyone wants to save effort and goes full aero. So why not beat the herd and pick up one of these bikes before everyone else does.
Our pick of the bunch goes to the ICAN it might not look much when compared to the Cervelo or the Trek. But, at a fifth of the cost of these £10,000 superbikes, it can more than hold its own. So pick one up and start to minimise your CdA.
AERO Road Disc Bike A9
