The benefits of lightness when riding uphill have been appreciated since time immemorial, and by now we all know how valuable aero gear can be at saving time on the flat. But in between there must be a crossover, so where is it and what can it tell us about optimising our equipment choices?
‘It’s an interesting question,’ says renowned aerodynamicist Simon Smart of Drag2Zero, consultant to WorldTour teams and here to provide his expert insight. ‘I get asked about this a lot. The aero effect is quite small at climbing speeds and most of your work is against gravity. On the other hand, when you consider total system weight, including the rider, the extra weight of the aero setup isn’t that much either.’
It’s often cited that aero trips over into the need for lightweight at around a 5% or 6% gradient, so to test that theory, and to examine the differences aero or lightweight setups can make, we sourced some of the fastest and lightest kit around and went pedalling off up a 6% climb. Here’s what happened…
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