We spent two days in the wind tunnel testing fenders, jackets, hand position, lower handlebars, etc. The fenders made remarkably little difference to aerodynamics. Of course, it probably depends on your fenders, and if you have a front plastic fender that sticks up in the air instead of following the curve of the tire, it may be different. As Michael recalled, the ideal fender extends just forward of the fork crown, and acts as a fairing for the tire. Everything else increases drag. A full front fender still is better than nothing, as the fairing effect outweighs the extra drag of the rear portion. Lowering you stem by 20 mm had a great effect than most other changes, with the exception of flapping jackets. Now that was a huge effect! Full results are in Bicycle Quarterly Vol. 6, No. 1. (Commercial plug: Back issues are available.)
Jan Heine Editor Bicycle Quarterly http://www.vintagebicyclepress.com Follow our blog at http://janheine.wordpress.com/ -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bu...@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
