Originally Posted by
TMonk
At this risk of sounding argumentative, I think that aero in the context of this discussion does matter for an armature racer in a time trial. Is there anything on the line? No, but it is gratifying to see improvements. For example, my TTT captain and road teammate just beat his own course record at our local TT (FITT) on 30 less watts than his previous record. He has a 9 month old (child 2) and his training has suffered significantly, however he has not stopped making improvements to his position and equipment. I mean, that's pretty damn cool. He's looking to get fitter later in the year and go sub 50 minutes for the 40k.
I'm not trying to take the fun out of it. I've just been around this stuff too long - at races. The strong guys with good engines win. They win so many times despite the equipment they're on. In the context of TT's by all means enjoy discussing the nuances of marginal gains.
It's just aero was so played out for so many years in crits and just enthusiast riding. I'd watch rider after rider pontificate about their aero gains and the "latest" completely biased and flawed research they believe they saw only to watch them fade off the back. I just am jaded.
Sure there's a baseline that needs to be covered. I dropped riding 36mm wheels last year and built up a new set of 55's for myself. Went against my instincts because it added what I felt was a substantial amount of weight to the set. But "gotta run what we offer" won out. Getting back to group ride speeds and feeling the tiny difference in all sorts of little spots around a ride I've been riding for a long time reminded me that while they won't fix my complete lack of ability and talent they are still al lot of fun to ride.