Tag: Aerodynamics
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Wheel Design Series Step 3 – 3D Modeling
Legacy Article: The data discussed in this article is taken from our previous generation of wheels. In 2014 we sat down to redesign our FLO Cycling wheel line. This five-step design process took 15 months to complete and blog series covers the design process in detail. This is Step 3 of our five-step design…
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Wheel Design Series Step 4 – Optimization Algorithm
In 2014 we sat down to redesign our FLO Cycling wheel line. This five-step design process took 15 months to complete and this blog series covers the design process in detail. This is Step 4 of our five-step design process. To learn more about Steps 1, 2, 3, and 5, please check out the…
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How Much Drag Does a Clydesdale Build Add to Cycling Wheel?
Back in November 2018, when Chris and I went to the A2 Wind Tunnel to test the new FLO 45, 60, 90, and DISC, we decided to study a few things we’ve thought about over the years. Today’s article looks at the difference in aerodynamic drag between a standard build and a clydesdale build…
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Does Covering the Valve Cutout on a DISC Wheel Matter?
If you’ve ever owned a disc wheel, you will know that the only part of the wheel that is not covered, is the valve cutout. We are often asked if covering this valve cutout will improve aerodynamics. To be honest, we didn’t know the answer, so we studied it. If you are interested in our…
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A2 Wind Tunnel Tire Study Part 1
In Part 1 of this series, we are going to look at the effect tires have on aerodynamic drag. The first time we visited the A2 Wind Tunnel back in April of 2011, we were shocked by how much of a difference tires could make. We always wondered how much better our results could have…
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Aerodynamic Difference between Sapim CX-Ray and Round Spokes
Years ago when, Chris and I were starting FLO, we made the decision to use Sapim CX-Ray spokes. We’d heard that they were faster than round spokes or bladed spokes. The CX-Ray’s have a unique aero shape, which likely explains part of the reason the spokes are used on so many aerodynamic cycling wheels.…
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Does Bike Tire Pressure Change Aerodynamic Drag?
The first time I heard someone say tire pressure would change aerodynamics, I questioned if this would be true. The more I thought about it, the more I questioned how aerodynamics would be effected by tire pressure. When you change the air pressure in a tire, you change the shape of the tires contact…
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How Much Time Will FLO Wheels Save Me?
Legacy Article: The data discussed in this article is taken from our previous generation of wheels. The benefit of aero race wheels is that they reduce your overall drag and make you faster. In 2012, I wrote a blog article that discussed how much time you’d save by reducing your drag while traveling at speeds…
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A2 Wind Tunnel Tire Study Part 2
Legacy Article: The data discussed in this article is taken from our previous generation of wheels. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at the aerodynamic drag created by different tires on a front FLO 60 Carbon Clincher wheel. As many of you know, when searching for the fastest tire, aerodynamic drag is only…
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What is a Net Drag Reduction Value
LEGACY POST: This is a legacy blog post. Net Drag Reduction Value has been replaced by Total Power. Total Power uses Net Drag Reduction Value. This post also discusses old generations of wheels. We’ve always believed in trying to be as realistic as possible when estimating time savings for a given wheel. To do this we…
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CFD and Wind Tunnels. Are they for Design or Marketing?
The goal of a wheel designer is to create the fastest wheel possible while also reducing drag as much as possible. When the design of the FLO 30 was underway, I was asked a really great question recently that I thought deserved some attention. Does CFD and time in the wind tunnel really help you…
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What I’ve Learned from My Time in a Wind Tunnel – Part 2
This article is a follow up to Part 1 What I’ve Learned from My Time in a Wind Tunnel – Part 1. I suggest reading the previous article before you read this one, especially if you want a bit of background on wind tunnels. Here we go with the rest of the lessons I’ve learned.…
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What I’ve Learned from My Time in a Wind Tunnel – Part 1
The first time we visited the A2 Wind Tunnel we were under the assumption that testing a wheel was a simple as placing it in the wind tunnel and reading the results. What we didn’t know was that there were a large number of things that can alter the results. We also didn’t really know…