Originally Posted by
taras0000
It's also good to remember to not just test aero (by using power), but to test power by using position. Basically the reverse of the aero test. Pick a position, set up on the trainer, and do some efforts at race pace to see where your optimal power is, and where it starts to really drop off. If your refined aero position is somewhere in between these, you can then go back and forth within these parameters to find your ideal position. You may find that for someone that does both Kilo and pursuit, they may settle on two different positions that take into account both of these factors.
The nice thing about testing this way, is when you want to refine/repeat in the future, there is much less to look at, and the adjustments tend to be finer as well.
Excellent point, and I've wondered about that when I was experimenting with my Funny Bike and Recumbent Trike (for fun).
One could potentially get the perfect aero position, but not have rider efficiency.
Perhaps try some maximum effort laps to verify one can still hit the same top speeds.
Of course, that will also be difficult to measure for a few confounding effects:
- The Placebo Effect (new bike effect). Try something new, it must be better, and that can potentially influence performance.
- Or the opposite... liked the old one
- Plus training. It may not be as efficient simply because one hasn't trained and habituated to the new specs, so it could get better with practice (but always keep in mind alternatives if it doesn't get better).