The Aero Craze of flattened frames and aero components was really a fantastic idea that could directly benefit nearly every RACER of the period. Why? folks say because the rider is so relatively large the flattened frame and components offer an insignificant advantage. Ba Humbug - Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
It is precisely because aero drag increases at a square rate that the aero thing was so important....
As the Campy freak, the lover of things retro and round, how can I say this?
Because what does a typical bike racer do on race day?
One - wake up Two - eat some food Three - gather one's stuff Four - put the bike on the Roof of the car and drive like a Bat out of *#&$ to the race.
In this day of rising fuel costs the aero bicycle for the motoring speed demon is a wonderous thing indeed.
Mike "pushing the limits of on topic" Kone in Boulder CO
> FujiFish1@aol.com wrote:
\r?\n>
\r?\n> > Collect? ... Nah. But that reminds me ... I think I never sent a link to
\r?\n> > PICs of a true POSEUR bike I nabbed from the local thrift for about 4 bucks.
\r?\n> > It's a Huffy Aerowind, inspired by the 1980s "aero" craze that we cover from
\r?\n> time
\r?\n> > to time. The frame has flattened gaspipe tubes, and a super low level
\r?\n> > Shimano (Adamas?) AX gruppo, that poorly emulates it's Dura Ace distant
\r?\n> relative.
\r?\n> > Still, some of the mechanisms are very similar looking to the real deal, and
\r?\n> > the rear derailleur is an AX Positron. Oh yes, the bike weighs a ton, and I
\r?\n> > have not (yet) ridden it :)
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> >
\r?\n> > It's probably not really on topic, since it is neither lightweight, nor warm,
\r?\n> > let alone hot enough to be keeping any flame; but it might still fall in the
\r?\n> > timeline. Just thought some of you might want to see it ... for kicks.
\r?\n>
\r?\n> Oh, yeah. I remember those. It looked like they just took one of their
\r?\n> normal gaspipe frames and mashed it in a vice to give it the fashionable
\r?\n> aero look.
\r?\n>
\r?\n>
\r?\n> --
\r?\n>
\r?\n> -John Thompson (john@os2.dhs.org)
\r?\n> Appleton WI USA