Tag: Aerodynamics
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Wake Interaction: Can a Front Wheel’s Aerodynamic Profile Improve Rear Wheel Performance?
When we discuss aerodynamic performance in cycling, we often isolate individual components—the frame, handlebars, helmet, or wheels. However, cycling aerodynamics is inherently complex, involving intricate interactions between multiple components. Among these interactions, one frequently overlooked phenomenon is how the airflow created by your front wheel influences the aerodynamic performance of your rear wheel. At FLO…
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Transient Aerodynamics: Why Steady-State Wind Tunnel Tests Are Part of the Equation
Every competitive cyclist or triathlete knows the critical role aerodynamics play in cycling performance. Reducing aerodynamic drag translates directly into saved watts, higher speeds, and improved race times. Traditionally, wind tunnels have been the gold standard for measuring aerodynamic performance. But while incredibly valuable, wind tunnels primarily provide steady-state data—conditions seldom replicated in real-world cycling.…
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How Carbon Wheels Affect Power Transfer and Efficiency
Every dedicated cyclist understands the value of watts. From professional road racers to gravel adventurers, efficiently converting your hard-earned watts into forward motion is crucial. While factors such as aerodynamics and rolling resistance rightly dominate conversations, one essential aspect often overlooked is how carbon wheels influence power transfer and riding efficiency. As wheel engineers at…
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Wheel Stiffness: How it Affects Handling, Comfort, and Speed
Every cyclist has experienced the remarkable sensation when their bike feels perfectly responsive—accelerating effortlessly, handling confidently, and comfortably absorbing road vibrations. Behind this ideal ride is one crucial and often misunderstood factor: wheel stiffness. At FLO Cycling, as wheel engineers, we design our wheels to achieve an optimal balance of stiffness and compliance, knowing precisely…
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Understanding the Science of Airflow: Laminar vs. Turbulent Flow Around Your Wheels
As cyclists dedicated to improving performance, we obsess over watts. Saving watts means going faster, riding further, and experiencing less fatigue. But to truly maximize these marginal gains, we must deeply understand how our equipment interacts with the invisible yet ever-present factor—air. At FLO Cycling, we’ve dedicated countless hours to researching and refining wheel aerodynamics.…
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Stabilizing a Bike with a Deeper Rear Wheel
Whether you’re a seasoned triathlete dialed in to every last detail of your aero position, a road cyclist eager to upgrade your ride, or a gravel grinder looking for an edge on those windy backroads, understanding how different wheel depths affect handling is key. In many parts of the cycling world, deep-section wheels are prized…
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Why Our Fastest Road Wheels are Gravel Wheels
Our fastest road wheels are actually our gravel wheels. What? Yes, I had to do a double take when I processed this data in the wind tunnel. When testing our All Sport (AS) and Gravel line in the A2 Wind Tunnel, I made a last minute decision to test a 32mm Continental GP 5000 on…
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The Fastest Cycling Wheels Optimize Rim Width & Rim Depth
For bike wheels, is deeper always faster? Most people believe that a deeper cycling wheel automatically makes a faster cycling wheel. A deep section wheel is on almost every performance cyclist’s wish list. For years, we’ve stated that the fastest cycling wheels optimize both width and depth. Until recently, we haven’t been able to show…
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Understanding Being Aero & Watts For Cyclists
We commonly hear the phrase “be aero” in the cycling world, but what does it really mean? The quick answer, “being aero” is when the watts you put into the pedals are used to move you forward and not used to overcome drag, therefore making you faster. We already know that being aero is important;…
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FLO Gravel Wheel Design #11 Can Gravel Wheels Be Aero?
Can Gravel Wheels Be Aerodynamic? We at FLO have a founding belief that aerodynamic cycling wheels for road and triathlon can be affordable. Since aerodynamics are part of our roots, one of the first questions we asked when designing the gravel wheels was, “Can gravel wheels be aerodynamic?” We observed gravel events like the Dirty…
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Wind Tunnel Results and Cycling Wheel Aerodynamics Tutorial
Legacy Article: The data discussed in this article is taken from our previous generation of wheels. Introduction When we set out on our journey to design aerodynamic cycling wheels, we asked ourselves, “what makes a wheel aerodynamic?” We soon learned there wasn’t a real answer. After hours of research, computational fluid dynamics testing, and…
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How Speed, Time, and Power are Affected by Reducing Drag
Note: For an updated version of this blog article displaying the time savings for our new 2016 model wheels, read this article. There’s a list of common questions we see from people trying to understand the importance of cycling wheel aerodynamics. These questions include the following: 1. Your CFD simulations and wind tunnel tests…
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The Great Bike Wheel Debate – Aero vs. Weight
Legacy Article: The data discussed in this article is taken from our previous generation of wheels. “What will save you more time?” Improving the aerodynamics or decreasing the weight of your wheel set? Jon and I have probably been asked this question hundreds if not thousands of times since starting FLO. When designing FLO…