Comments on: Powertap or Mavic Cosmics for Challenge Roth? http://www.tricape.com/powertap-or-mavic-cosmics-for-challenge-roth/ South Africa Triathlon blog Thu, 08 Jan 2009 01:07:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Robin Frankland http://www.tricape.com/powertap-or-mavic-cosmics-for-challenge-roth/#comment-1355 Robin Frankland Fri, 08 Jun 2007 15:26:37 +0000 http://www.tricape.com/2007/06/08/powertap-or-mavic-cosmics-for-challenge-roth/#comment-1355 I am not going to debate the merits of power over heartrate but I will say that if you have become that dependant on power readings, not having them in the race will be a distraction that you cannot afford. Just remember that its a tool and must not dictate your pace, rather use it to measure your performance after the race. Aerodynamically you will gain far more by improving the aerodynamics of the front wheel than the back, perhaps as much as an 80/20 split. This is largely due to the fact that the front end cuts the wind while the back of the bike labours through turbulent air. Since there is little you can do to smooth airflow over the rear wheel because of the preceeding crank motion, it is safe to say that you will get 60-80% of your 1km/h improvement by using the cosmic on the front and your training wheel at the back. Of course tailwinds change the dynamics a little but in those cases the gains are really only made with the use of a disc wheel or really deep section like the <a href="http://www.zipp.com/Products/Wheels/tabid/85/CategoryID/2/List/1/Level/1/ProductID/36/Default.aspx?SortField=ISBN%2cISBN" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Zipp 808's</a> or <a href="http://www.blackwellresearch.com/images/products/100%20pair-large.jpg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Blackwell 100's</a> I am not going to debate the merits of power over heartrate but I will say that if you have become that dependant on power readings, not having them in the race will be a distraction that you cannot afford. Just remember that its a tool and must not dictate your pace, rather use it to measure your performance after the race.

Aerodynamically you will gain far more by improving the aerodynamics of the front wheel than the back, perhaps as much as an 80/20 split. This is largely due to the fact that the front end cuts the wind while the back of the bike labours through turbulent air.

Since there is little you can do to smooth airflow over the rear wheel because of the preceeding crank motion, it is safe to say that you will get 60-80% of your 1km/h improvement by using the cosmic on the front and your training wheel at the back.

Of course tailwinds change the dynamics a little but in those cases the gains are really only made with the use of a disc wheel or really deep section like the Zipp 808’s or Blackwell 100’s

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