Changing your posture on the road bike can instantly boost your efficiency more than 13 percent, according to a study from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. The takeaway is simple: bend your elbows.
While studies on the aerodynamics of time trial positions have established the importance of a low tuck in pursuit of reducing drag, the recent proliferation of aero road bikes has shown that it’s not just the skinsuit and pointy hat wearing crew who are interested in maxing out their free speed.
The study by Barry et al, published in the Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, looked at five different road cycling postures to see which best overcomes drag.
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The outcome showed that gripping the brake hoods with horizontal forearms produced the smallest frontal area and equated to a power saving of 13.4 percent at 45km/h compared with sitting up with hands on the hoods. This equates to around 35 seconds over a 40km time trial at 300 watts. This horizontal-forearms position also offered a 10.3 percent saving compared with gripping the drops.
The study's findings correlate with BikeRadar's own testing done on the same positions using the CdA-measuring services of ERO Sports and Alphamantis. (Related reading: What is CDA?) In our one-rider study, CdA dropped from an average of 0.3473 when riding in the drops (position 2 above) to an average of .3167 when gripping the hoods with horizontal forearms (position 3 above).
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