I wonder what the UCI will think...

[hansonator69]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2mfi2i ... ce=message

New Eddy Merckx TT bike with a split downtube. What will the UCI do to stop innovation this time?

[Epic-o]

That cable routing is messy

[Dalai]

Is it actually even filmed in a wind tunnel???

Looks like the bike is just set up in a warehouse on a trainer in front of an industrial fan with a smoke wand. With the front wheel not turning therefore not disrupting the pretty smoke stream...

Down tube looks boxy. As long at the aspect ratio of both sides of the down tube is okay, would the UCI be bothered? There was the Oval fork and frame elements that were similar. Are they still legal?

[HillRPete]

Colnago Bititan anyone?

[Illuminate]

It will be quite a conundrum for the UCI given that it's a Mercx.

Other notes:
Front wheel changes from a tri spoke to a 3T - why not just use an 808 and be done with it.
Sunglasses - they're either on or their off - not both.

[astranoc]

Interesting at 2:32 the Lexus logos.. do they have any connection?

[Dalai]

Other notes:
Sunglasses - they're either on or their off - not both.

Whan I went into a windtunnel, I wanted to also test any difference between glasses and no glasses. Unfortunately safety regulations meant we couldn't test without the glasses...

[seandonovan]

Interesting at 2:32 the Lexus logos.. do they have any connection?

There was explicit mention of Toyota somewhere in the video (probably their low speed wind tunnel that's being used), so yes, there is a connection.

[adriano]

Other notes:
Sunglasses - they're either on or their off - not both.

Whan I went into a windtunnel, I wanted to also test any difference between glasses and no glasses. Unfortunately safety regulations meant we couldn't test without the glasses...

definitely would have been great use of time in a wind tunnel.

[justkeepedaling]

This reeks of an marketing person sitting down at a table and looking at current specs of bikes thinking, "What's better than one aero downtube. What about 2??? :O? Let's do it!"

[bikedoc]

so wheres the water bottle go,

[BmanX]

Great concept but have to agree the cabling is SH!T. I do not have any of my bikes cabled that bad. Even my MTB is cabled better.

[Arky]

This down tube was done with that "factor" bike as well.

[Epic-o]

I like the part when they say that an open profile is as stiff as a closed one. Not a very lateral stiff frame, I suppose

They could have tried some type of airfoil for the downtube. A rectangular section isn't aerodynamic at all

[Phill P]

The idea of foil DTs is that the turbulent air divided off the front wheel easily passes down the side the DT with little pressure on the leading edge.

This Merckx frame has gone and placed two non aero profiles in the path of the air coming off the wheel. What is it meant to do- split some in between the tubes creating a high pressure zone? The leading edge of those tubes will have higher pressure since they are in the path of the air coming off the front wheel, and as somebody said once you mount a bottle no air will pass between the tubes.

Eddy take control of your marketing department-they don't know jack about aerodynamics, but clearly they have heard stiffer is better (not that I believe a twin design like theirs will be any better than one round tube which will also be more aero....)