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TECH NEWS

2017 aero road bikes

Check out models from Colnago, Pinarello, Scott, Ridley, Storck and more

There are more and more aero road bikes out there these days with everyone looking for a little extra free speed. Here are eight that we spotted at Eurobike a couple of weeks ago.

 

Pinarello Dogma F8

The F8 (main pic) is the latest in a long line of Dogma models, with a greater focus on aerodynamics than ever before, the result of a development programme that pulled in expertise from Team Sky and technical partner Jaguar.

The tubes are shaped to a truncated airfoil profile, with a rounded leading edge and flat back, hence the FlatBack name. The result of those changes is, says Pinarello, a 26% aerodynamic improvement over the old model. It claims more aero savings have been achieved with the new fork, which now has legs that bow out to move them away from the wheel to reduce turbulent air, a change that Pinarello says nets a massive 54% aerodynamic improvement. That's the claim!

Would you describe the Dogma F8 as an aero road bike? Probably, although, as with a couple of other bikes here, it's going to be a matter of opinion.

Check out our review of the Pinarello Dogma F8 here. 

www.pinarello.com

 

Scott Foil Premium

Scott Foil Premium - 1.jpg

The Scott Foil Premium isn’t big on graphics, but some people like a stealthy look.

Scott introduced the Foil way back in 2010, although it has been updated massively since then. Like most other aero road bikes, it uses truncated airfoils to work around the UCI regulations that allow a maximum profile depth of three times the width. 

“While the aerodynamic performance of the airfoil is comparable to a traditional tear drop airfoil, stiffness and weight characteristics are substantially improved,” says Scott.

The Premium model comes with an integrated Syncros RR1.0 handlebar/stem, a Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 groupset, and Zipp 303 wheels. 

Check out our Scott Foil 2016 First Ride.

www.scott-sports.com

 

Colnago Concept

Colnago Concept - 1.jpg

Colnago says that its new Concept has been shaped by extensive testing in a wind tunnel with 41 versions of the frame trialled, although the Italian brand hasn’t released any data relating to the final design.

What you get here is a truncated profile down tube, a rear wheel-hugging seat tube, an aero seatpost with the  seat clamp integrated into the top tube, and a very compact rear triangle with the seatstays meeting the seat tube just above halfway up. 

All cables are internally routed and the bike uses direct mount brakes front and rear, mounted in conventional positions.

Check out our article This is the new Colnago Concept aero road bike for more info. 

www.colnago.com

 

Ridley Noah SL

Ridley Noah SL Andre Greipel - 1.jpg

This Ridley Noah SL is a replica of the one ridden by Lotto-Soudal’s Andre Greipel, hence the gorilla on the head tube, a reference to the German sprinter’s nickname. Although you can't really make it out in this photo, Greipel's signature accompanies the pic.

It’s built up with a top-level Campagnolo Super-Record groupset – the electronic version – and Campag Bora Ultra 50 wheels. 

The bar and stem are from Deda and the saddle is a Selle Italia Flite

www.ridley-bikes.com

 

KTM Lisse

KTM Lisse - 1.jpg

Austria’s KTM showed a new aerodynamic concept bike at Eurobike a couple of weeks ago. The brakes are sheltered out of the wind and the down tube is placed close to the front wheel to optimise stiffness and aerodynamic performance, while the rear triangle is kept small to reduce drag.

Recognising internal routing can be troublesome from a servicing point of view, KTM has developed what it describes as “hassle free Top to Bottom routing” which uses a full housing through the frame. 

Check out our full story on the KTM Lisse. 

www.ktm-bikes.at

 

Storck Fascenario.3

Storck Fascenario.3 - full bike.jpg

When we met Markus Storck at Eurobike he was keen to tell us that the new Fascenario.3 is designed to be the world’s best road bike, and as such it needs to be aerodynamically efficient, among other things. It doesn't look like a typical aero road bike, though, largely because Storck has tried to keep a balance of other qualities such as comfort, stiffness, ergonomics, and so on.

The down tube has an aerodynamic profile with a chopped off trailing edge and the head tube has a slightly cinched in waist to lower the frontal area. 

Storck Fascenario.3 - fork.jpg

What’s really different, though, is the fork legs which bow out massively between the crown and the dropouts. The idea is to allow air to pass straight through the gap between the fork leg and the wheel, avoiding turbulence and therefore keeping drag low.

Read our exclusive first ride on the Storck Fascenario.3. 

www.storck-bicycle.cc

 

BH G7 Disc

BH G7 Disc - 1.jpg

An aerodynamic disc brake road bike? There are quite a few of them out there now. The G7 Disc is based on the existing G6 Pro but with a rear triangle and fork that have been redesigned to handle the forces of the new braking system.

Both the frame and the fork are 12mm thru-axle and the disc brakes in question are flat mount, the format that has become dominant.

www.bhbikes.com

 

Kuota KT03 

Kuota KT03 road bike setup - 1.jpg

The KT03 is usually seen in a time trial/triathlon setup with a TT handlebar and aero extensions, but this version has been fitted with a drop bar. 

As is usually the case with TT bikes, the seat angle is steep at 78.5°, although you get loads of fore/aft movement at the saddle to adjust the riding position.

The TRP V-type front brake is positioned at the back of the fork and the rear brake is hidden away behind the bottom bracket. 

www.kuotacycle.it

 

To see more aero road bikes from Eurobike, check out our story from last week. 

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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6 comments

Avatar
Jimnm | 7 years ago
1 like

A cyclist is a cyclist, wicker basket on the front and hairy legs or not. Racer or not.

Cycling has wide parameters.  I ride a motorcycle also, but spend more time on my road bike because it's more enjoyable. 

Anyone on two wheels deserves respect. IMO  1

Avatar
Leviathan | 7 years ago
2 likes

You can buy aero kit, you can't buy resistance to eating cake. Don't listen to all-the-kit haters.

Avatar
gbzpto | 7 years ago
2 likes

How much difference does aero really make to the average punter? Negligible I would suggest

Avatar
Jimnm replied to gbzpto | 7 years ago
1 like

gbzpto wrote:

How much difference does aero really make to the average punter? Negligible I would suggest

I concur, same goes for weight savings for the average punter  3 a couple of bidons and a jersey full of energy bars. Fair enough, no one wants to ride a heavy bike, so it's worth buying a light weight one. To benefit from an  Aero bike you need to be putting out some watts and be a serious racer. 

Avatar
Simon E replied to gbzpto | 7 years ago
1 like

gbzpto wrote:

How much difference does aero really make to the average punter? Negligible I would suggest

Yep. GCN reckon 1.5% in one of their kinda-science-but-not-really videos (this one). The aero bike had Zipp 60s and the standard bike Kysrium Elites so I'd say that alone accounts for most of the difference.

Tour magazine tested a number of brands' aero frames against their rounder-tubed siblings and the differences are tiny, typically around 0.5%:

https://twitter.com/cervelo/status/435843774439501826/photo/1

But that's not to say people shouldn't buy one. Buy whatever you like.

Avatar
Christopher TR1 replied to gbzpto | 7 years ago
1 like

gbzpto wrote:

How much difference does aero really make to the average punter? Negligible I would suggest

Yeah, you'd may as well ride a sit-up-and-beg with wicker shopping basket. That'd sure give those aero freaks something to think about when they see your hairy legs spinning by...  3

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