pmprego wrote: ↑Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:41 am
The norcal guy did mention something close to what you suggest when he did a video comparing the sl7 with an entry level specialized. Or the Rapides.
In that he mention that the Aethos, with the same wheels as the sl7 (and most likely round bar - not aero bars like the aerofly) was 99% as fast as the sl7 on their loop.
I doubt asgreen would lose Flanders would he picked the Aethos.
I think this is an interesting point for discussion. From the "numbers" * that I can find, it really is difficult for me to imagine that there could be more than about a 1% difference in total power needed between the SL7 and Aethos and I think that typically the average on a ride will be much less or statistically insignificant.
However, looking at the margins of victory in some of these races that 1% really might make the difference, sometimes. For road biking, frame aerodynamics is a small marginal change. I put the word 'small' in carefully, since wheels can, on occasion, make 5 or possibly 10 times as much difference - still marginal, but perhaps an order of magnitude different.
Even for people not racing, getting the best out of 7000 KJ, or even 10000 KJ work done, should result in a noticeable difference, literally at the end of the day!
For me, I'm thinking about an Aethos - I'm pretty sure it is the disc-brake replacement for my Lemond Triomphe Ultimate frame from 2008, a frame which is just wonderful for all-day riding up and down at my ~75Kg.
*[any sort of number, including from a wind tunnel test, is only as good as the estimate of its spread/error!]