BIKE WIND TUNNEL

We were the first to offer wind tunnel testing to amateur cyclists over 10 years ago.  We are now pleased to be offering our services from the sports specific wind tunnel at the Silverstone Sports Engineering Hub.  With our heritage in F1, we feel we have come home!  Using our own test protocols developed over 10 years of rider testing, we can offer cyclists the security that they are in safe hands when they are testing their position.  A tool is only as good as those using it, and we know this is where we have a wealth of experience, having commissioned our first wind tunnel in 2002.  Not only do we understand the data coming out of the tunnel, we understand how wind tunnels work.  This provides us with the insight into how to get the most out of your session for you.  We do not follow a pre set sequence of changes, rather we adopt an organic process using our experience and engineering background to make sure that results are accurate and your session is worthwhile.

During a test we will first analyse your current position to determine a baseline and then advise of changes we believe should be made to your position using our many years of experience in optimising both amateur and professional cyclists. We will work with you during your session to identify the right compromise between aero, power output and comfort over a number of changes to position. This is an iterative process – we look at what is happening to you each step of the way to make sure that we do all we can to make you go faster. A mechanic will be on hand to attend to any equipment changes that may be needed.

Equipment can be tested, although this can be time consuming – we are experts in product design and can happily advise on equipment during your session so we find that often money is better spent working on position.

We often achieve 20 configurations in a 2 hour session, although this may be more or less depending on variable factors such as the ease with which your bike can be adapted.  That said we are more about quality than quantity and the progression we see throughout the test is more important to us than the number of runs achieved.

Having tested thousands of athletes we believe that 2hrs in the wind tunnel is the optimum time for most people. Cockpit changes are usually of prime importance in achieving a good position, and as bikes have become more integrated, these changes become more time consuming to make.  This is why we consider that you won’t get the most out of a test for a shorter period of time. We allow extra time for a briefing session at the start to understand what you are looking to achieve  and whether there might be any limitations that you have to work with, and additional time during the session so you understand what the results mean and to work on developing that optimum position.  We allocate between 2.5-3 hrs to each session. For information on cost and availability  please contact us.