Originally Posted by
chas58
I think Aero for gravel is rather silly, but if you are looking at aero for the road portion of your ride that makes sense.
Aero really starts to make a difference over 20mph. Below 15 it isn't much of a factor. Generally I'm not doing over 15 on gravel solo (but sometimes in a pack, and always for that sprint)
I am not claiming the benefits are massive as I really don't have a number in minutes or whatever, but aero on slower riders really is a thing. And it's impact is felt well below your claimed 20mph base.
https://amp.interestingengineering.c...ics-of-cycling
above speeds of around 10 mph (16 km/h), air resistance (drag) is the dominant force a cyclist needs to overcome. When speeds reach in excess of 30 mph (48.2 km/h), somewhere in the region of 90% of a cyclist's muscle power is used to blow through this invisible force.
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At around 10 mph (16 km/h) somewhere in the region of 50% of their power is used to overcome air resistance.
https://blog.trekbikes.com/en/2020/0...really-matter/
The slower you ride, the longer it takes you to complete a course. That means you have more time for aerodynamic savings to compound, even though a smaller percentage of your pedaling power is working to overcome aerodynamics.
https://pedalchile.com/blog/aero-drag-speed?format=amp
At speeds over 10 mph (16 kph), aerodynamic (aero) drag becomes the dominant force of resistance, with no wind on flat terrain: At 18 mph (29 kph) it becomes 80% of the resistance25 mph (40 kph) it becomes 90% of the dominant force At 6 mph (10 kph) air resistance becomes a discernible resistance factor (but less than rolling resistance)
https://www.bicycling.com/skills-tip...dynamic%20drag.
There’s a misconception that aero only matters if you’re going fast. “People will say, ‘I’m not fast enough to need aerodynamic equipment,’” Barry says. “But good aerodynamics provides greater time savings to slower riders than faster ones.”
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Your bike accounts for up to 30 percent of your total drag, which is significant