micromobility - Ebikes, scooters, longboards: Whatever floats your goat, this is micromobility @lemmy.world _haha_oh_wow_ @sh.itjust.works 2mo ago

Would You Wear an Air-Filled Cycling Backpack If It Could Reduce Drag and Improve Safety?

www.bicycling.com Would You Wear an Air-Filled Cycling Backpack If It Could Reduce Drag and Improve Safety?

Inspired by paragliding, the innovative design makes bold promises, yet the lack of performance data leaves questions about its true impact.

59 comments

Nope, definitely not. That is wasted space. The back is for holding a backpack with a hydration reservoir. Anyway, I'm trying to gain strength and lose weight, not reduce my times by .02%.
- Believe it or not, hydration packs have been shown to reduce aerodynamic drag for cyclists. There was a brief moment in pro cycling where riders wore them during time trials to shave a few tenths off their time. Strangely, the benefit of wearing one backward (on your chest) is a little bit better than wearing it on your back.
  
  Needless to say, the UCI quickly banned hydration packs altogether.
  
  'cause the UCI are dickheads and want to live in 19..f@#k!ng..10. Let fixate on sock height, frame weight, aero tuck and shifter angles, but ignore road furniture, dickhead crowds assaulting riders and fine riders when the organisers cant organise (looking at you Vuelta)
  
  Strangely, the benefit of wearing one backward (on your chest) is a little bit better than wearing it on your back.
  
  That's fascinating and makes me wonder if wearing both at once was tested. I can't imagine it'd be comfortable though.
I feel like the bigg trux klan will just roll extra coal if they see you wearing this honestly idiotic lookig accessory.
Seems like you'd get blown over if there's any crosswind...
Is this going to help my times on my Specialized S-Works Aethos? I'll do anything to shave off a single second. I shave my pubes into an aero shape already, so I'm running out of ways to optimize my aerodynamics.
- Remove saddle for XTRA AERO!
  
  Heh, is there a bcj on Lemmy?
  
  I removed the saddle and replaced it with a dildo. 10/10 would recommend.
  
  First rule of BCJ is you do not talk about BCJ.
Depends on how well it manages to reduce drag. Make me get 5 more kph and we're talking
- Just fill that puppy with helium
- Get a recumbent instead, or for maximum speed gains, a velomobile.
Not sure how much safety this really adds...
- Any safety it adds would probably be immediately offset by the added dangers of drivers being unable to see or steer effectively due to uncontrollable laughter.
  
  The guy on the left is trying so hard 🤣
Isn't that going to function like a sail if there's any crosswind? We're going to see cyclists floating through the air screaming and looking stupid while doing it lol
- Where I am, they're adding to their lycra getup - not content with having "Lidl" plastered across their arse as well as the "I shat myself" shorts bulge, they've added fishnet socks, and those television-sunglasses
  
  Pretty sure they're not worried about looking more stupid lol
  
  If your bike setup costs less than 7K, can you even honestly say you're a cyclist?
  
  HELLZ YEAH BROTHERS, SEND IT!
- I would enjoy seeing that
- I would think so.
Anything that makes a cyclist look even more fucking ridiculous gets a green light for me. Grown men dressed in spandex with sperm shaped helmets is already hilarious. Add to that a fucking binbag...

What's nuts is they can spend thousands for the look.
- Out of curiosity what is in the approved list of attire that you think is okay for “grown men” and what is in the unapproved list?
  
  Approved atire is a t-shirt and shorts. Or a coat and pants if it's cold out. Or nude if you're in one of those nude rides.
  
  I think what they’re getting at is the humor in seeing folks roll up decked out like they’re about to compete in the Tour de France. It’s kind of like someone showing up for a casual game of backyard football in full pads, or rolling up to a friendly baseball game with a uniform and eye black like they're about to hit a walk-off homer in Game 7. It’s a bit “try-hard,” if you will.
  
  And then there’s the crowd that’s a little chonky but laser-focused on shaving 200 grams off their bike instead of maybe passing on that second burger. I mean, priorities, right?
  
  But, hey, honestly, I don’t care. I ride with people who go full try-hard, and yeah, it can look a little overcooked—especially when I’m leaving them behind in the last 20 miles while they’re moaning about the pace—but at the end of the day, people can wear what they want. And they can feel however they want to feel about it, too.
  
  Personally, I save the full kit for race day, but to each their own. Just wear what’s comfy and keep it rolling.
  
  I'm not here to police anyone's styling. I'm not exactly a snazzy dresser myself. If you re-read my post I'm actively encouraging alternative clothing. I just think spandex is a wild choice. I get you can go faster...
- I can confirm that the majority if the cyclist community doesn't give a flying fuck about your opinion.
  
  Uh oh, someone touched a nerve lol
How would this reduce drag? Genuinely curious.
- My understanding is that it has to do with form drag -- aka pressure drag -- which results in vortices forming in the "separation region" directly behind an airfoil. Or in this case, a rider. Essentially, the swirling of air behind the rider is turbulent -- which is why a hoodie might flop all over the place -- and that causes energy to be lost.
  
  This video on Nebula (and YT as well) describes pressure drag at about the 02m30s mark for a sphere. But this graphic from Skybrary also shows the problem:
  
  By providing a smooth surface for air to "cling" to, where it would otherwise form vortices in the separation region, should reduce form drag, although it will cause additional induced drag (aka friction with the new surface). But induced drag scales with speed and at cycling speeds, that's less a problem than it would be at airplane speeds.
  
  A related drag-reducing device has been used for semi-truck trailers, and those have really been proven to reduce fuel consumption. Although the Wikipedia article does not describe in detail the aerodynamic principles at play.
  
  Here's one site that has info on skirts (under the trailer to reduce side flow) and tails at the back. There's an image of a wind tunnel view that gives a good idea what it helps with. Those vortexes at the back of a flat trailer suck a lot of power.
  
  My genuine thanks for taking the time to craft your lovely reply.
  
  So would this also reduce the benefits of "catching drift" behind another rider?
- Just guessing: trying to minimize vortexes and turbulences.
Das a garbage bag man
Nope! Nope, nope, nope... errrr NOPE!
Reminds me of those Civic owners who add a bunch of mods to make it more aerodynamic
No. I probably should wear those padded crotch pants and clip-in shoes when I do distance but I'm low tech with biking. It's all about the journey.
- For my touring/gravel bike-packing set up, I usually wear bibs under a light-weight pair of shorts and shirt and trail-running shoes. For road bike, I go clipless with lightweight shorts/shirt. Usually we go 50mi or less on road rides, so I don't really feel like I need a chamois. I have SQ Labs saddles on my bikes. Since I switched, the bike-short padding basically became unnecessary.
  
  Yeah, that's the one thing a pro biker friend gave me once, a very nice and very expensive bike seat. They look the same but makes a big difference
- Yeah, I just wear regular clothes and hiking shoes.
- The padded pants are non-negotiable to me... I do use clip-ons but cold probably live without it.