It's remarkably cool what some guys will go through to avoid doing a little math.
Fluids calculations that have any resolution whatsoever for a relatively complicated setup such as a bike/rider is more than a little math.
Right, but the cross-section of that tunnel is so small that he can't hope to get an absolute value for CdA; the most he can hope for is an estimate of relative CdA. In that case, he can get the same level of (im)precision from an on-bike power meter, which he appears to have.
Right, but the cross-section of that tunnel is so small that he can't hope to get an absolute value for CdA; the most he can hope for is an estimate of relative CdA. In that case, he can get the same level of (im)precision from an on-bike power meter, which he appears to have.
I think he claims to have precision -- it's accuracy he lacks.
I think he claims to have precision -- it's accuracy he lacks.
I'd be surprised if he had much precision. Not only is he going to get turbulence off the walls, but I'm guessing the vanes aren't tuned.
A trivial demonstration is theory says the wind resistance on a 3'3" radius sphere should have around the same drag as a 1'7.5" radius sphere at twice the wind speed.
But I still wonder...
A decent wind resistance test, which I saw first mentioned by Robin Horowitz, should be to run a powertap in conjunction with an iBike. If Crr is right, the single fitting parameter to get agreement is CdA, assuming negligible cross-winds.
A decent wind resistance test, which I saw first mentioned by Robin Horowitz, should be to run a powertap in conjunction with an iBike. If Crr is right, the single fitting parameter to get agreement is CdA, assuming negligible cross-winds.
I think Coggan talked about doing something like that in the past. IIRC, he seemed to think the precision was poor.
A decent wind resistance test, which I saw first mentioned by Robin Horowitz, should be to run a powertap in conjunction with an iBike. If Crr is right, the single fitting parameter to get agreement is CdA, assuming negligible cross-winds.
I think Coggan talked about doing something like that in the past. IIRC, he seemed to think the precision was poor.
Allen & Coggan is pre-IBike, but discusses using power for aerodynamics without a wind gauge: just after dawn, to minimize wind, ride a route in each direction, and do a regression of power/v versus v, with intercept Crr, and slope CdA/2, with power measured with a PowerTap to avoid drivetrain losses.
I think Coggan talked about doing something like that in the past. IIRC, he seemed to think the precision was poor.
Allen & Coggan is pre-IBike, but discusses using power for aerodynamics without a wind gauge: just after dawn, to minimize wind, ride a route in each direction, and do a regression of power/v versus v, with intercept Crr, and slope CdA/2, with power measured with a PowerTap to avoid drivetrain losses.
Yeah, and I have my doubts about that method. Windless is important, but I think you'll get poor precision unless you take into account accelerations.
However, I was referring to something else: Andy wrote somewhere or other that when the iBike came out it reminded him of an experiment he'd done with an on-bike wind gauge and on-bike power meter sometime before in an attempt to estimate CdA.
I think Coggan talked about doing something like that in the past. IIRC, he seemed to think the precision was poor.
Quoted message said:
Allen & Coggan is pre-IBike, but discusses using power for aerodynamics without a wind gauge: just after dawn, to minimize wind, ride a route in each direction, and do a regression of power/v versus v, with intercept Crr, and slope CdA/2, with power measured with a PowerTap to avoid drivetrain losses.
Yeah, and I have my doubts about that method. Windless is important, but I think you'll get poor precision unless you take into account accelerations.
That point is discussed in the book (as is the need to start and end each run on a banked track on the straight and not in the turn).
Quoted message said:
However, I was referring to something else: Andy wrote somewhere or other that when the iBike came out it reminded him of an experiment he'd done with an on-bike wind gauge and on-bike power meter sometime before in an attempt to estimate CdA.
We never got our device working well enough to ascertain the "workability" of the approach itself.