Air filled camelback for time trials.

[Kasparz]

Hello there!

I've been wondering about few pros using air filled camelbacks. Most of them are skinny men with flat backs. I was guessing skinnier men have relatively bigger head proportions to body thats why using camelbacks can improve aerodynamics. I'm a skinny men, Wiggins proportions really and looking to improve aerodynamics.

What's your guess?

[TheRookie]

This is weight weenies, use Helium!

Otherwise no idea!

[HillRPete]

I'm a skinny men, [...] and looking to improve aerodynamics.

If you do it without a means of verifying that it actually improves things (wind tunnel), chances are that you end up doing it in a way that increases drag.

Generally I thought being skinny would be advantageous to aerodynamics?

[stevem]

If you look at pictures of Matt Bottrill in the Nat UK 25 TT he was wearing a camel bak on the front , was it air filled I do not know but strange for a 25 mile TT.

[dereksmalls]

Haven't the UCI banned the wearing of Camelbaks in the front? And they have to have water in therm or something otherwise it counts as an illegal fairing from memory

[Kasparz]

Yes, at the front camelbacks are banned, but not at the back. I have a gap between my neck and helmet, just like Andy have here.

http://www.centralsportsnews.com/wp-con ... 202009.jpg

[jo.k]

Pull the helmet back a bit, then ...

[HillRPete]

Kasparz, interestingly Wiggins and others have started to use stubby tail helmets, so that gap might not be a problem really?

[woz9683]

They're using the stub-tailed helmets so that when they put their head completely down between their arms or glance down they don't have a big tail sticking up into the air. Keeping your head completely down with a stub-tail helmet lowers frontal area, but if you're going to keep your head up a long-tailed helmet should be more aero (just don't glance down with your whole head, only move your eyes).

As for camelbaks (camelfronts?), when your chest/abdomen is very flat it catches a lot of wind, rounding the surface with the camelbak helps redirect the air around the body.