Improve your aerodynamics and Save Up To Tens Of Minutes In Your Next Race Quickly And Inexpensively

STAC Performance is in the processing of publishing a journal paper on this very topic, but they say that their own scale model wind tunnel testing has seen less than 1-2% uncertainty with the simulation results, tested over a range of air velocities and that they’re within 2-4% of full scale wind tunnel results.

Yes! For fast riders, a slight aero improvement makes a dramatic difference. Even tiny changes in your CdA/aerodynamic drag will generate a great wattage saving. 

But slower riders are out on the course for longer periods of time and wind hits them at a wider range of angles. So even a one watt reduction in aerodynamic drag over an Ironman course at low speeds can equate to up to a two-minute time saving. And in all likelihood, there is a lot more than one watt that can be improved upon in most slower riders aerodynamics. 

Therefore, aerodynamics is very important for both fast and slow riders.

One scan takes 2-4 minutes to complete, from when you're sitting on your bike in the testing position. If you want to do more scans at different positions and setups, factor in the transition time to e.g. move water bottles, or whatever you want to do for the following scans.

The Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations performed to get your results requires some heavy-duty computing and calculations, but usually, you can expect your results within 48 hours. 

If you have several manipulations that you wish to complete, or many different scans, it may be safest to count on it taking an extra day or two. 

You can get scanned at Rua de Ponta Delgada in Lisbon, or I can come to any location that works for you in the greater Lisbon region. A small additional fee is charged if I come and visit you to do the scan. For larger groups or teams however, this fee can be waived. 

Over the course of an Ironman bike course (180 km) some example time savings through aerodynamics are:

• 3-5 minutes by choosing the right helmet. There's no absolutely right answer as to what helmet is the most aerodynamic, it depends on the person and riding position. You can find the right type of helmet for you by comparing different options with the VWT.
  
  
• 10-20 minutes by adopting a more aerodynamic riding position (assumes a relatively poor starting point). With the VWT you can compare many different aerodynamic positions and no exactly how much faster one is compared to the other. This allows you to decide where your sweet spot for aerodynamics to power is. 
  
  
• 5-10 minutes with aerodynamic wheels. With the VWT, you could test if those 90 mm wheels really are that much faster than 60 mm wheels, so you can make the best trade-off between aerodynamics and control in crosswinds. 
  
  
• 5-10 minutes with the right hydration setup. With the VWT, you can compare different options for your between-the-arms bottle (in some cases it may be faster to place the bottle upside down!), the bottles on the seat tube and down tube (these should usually be removed), and the bottles behind the saddles (you may want to compare different angles of this setup, as it can have a big impact on aerodynamics). 

Absolutely! For some equipment comparisons, like water bottle setup (e.g. comparing bottles on the frame with bottles behind the saddle) you just need to perform an additional scan. For other equipment comparisons, like comparing different wheel profiles, one scan is enough, and the comparison can be done through post-processing manipulations to the original model. 

Of course! Depending on what position changes you want to compare, this will be done either as two separate scans or as one baseline scan with manipulations done in post-processing. In general, smaller changes that just require stretching the 3D model a bit can be done as manipulations of the original baseline scan.