Aero, Weight, Stiffness, Comfort, who is more important for bike design and performance?

As we known, the bike frames of weight,Aero, Stiffness, Comfort will affect the riding experience. but which one is the most important for bike design ? let's talk about them today.

weight

What we are most concerned about and the easiest to obtain is the weight of the bicycle. The weight of the frame set can only be experienced in more extreme use scenarios, or it is due to the higher stiffness-to-weight ratio, such as one-minute all-out hill attack test. The weight experience is not obvious in most scenarios. In fact, as long as the whole bike does not exceed 7.5 kilograms, it is easy to ride. Except for climbing long hills, the performance difference caused by the weight is not big. You can test it with an empty kettle, a half-filled kettle of water, and a full kettle of water. Only long slopes should produce time differences. But there are exceptions. When we are extremely tired, we will become more sensitive to weight, and at the end of a long distance race, we will have the thought of throwing away the water bottle. In short, be as light as you can, but don’t be light just for the sake of being light. Sometimes, apart from being beautiful, it will not improve performance and riding experience.

stiffness

Stiffness is another important indicator. Big brands will claim how much the stiffness of the frame has improved compared with the previous generation, but in recent years they have no longer emphasized high stiffness. There is only one reason. Human beings are bodies, not machines. Excessive stiffness will accelerate muscle and nerve fatigue. One example is the stiffness of the new R5, which was reduced at the suggestion of WorldTour racers, in order to still have legs at the end of long distance races. Another example is that the stiffness of TCR is no longer increased, but the stiffness-to-weight ratio is improved through weight reduction. It can also be seen in the TOUR test that after the stiffness reaches a certain value, the maximum score is 1.0. It is no longer accurate to judge the performance of a frame set by its stiffness. In the end, you have to experience it through "riding". Of course, the easiest way is to look at the TOUR score. Below 1.3 is very good, and it is more than enough for amateur players.

stiffness to weight ratio

Compared with weight and stiffness, the stiffness-to-weight ratio of the combination of the two is more meaningful and is also the goal pursued by every brand. For the frame, it can be made very light without considering the stiffness, and it can be very stiff without considering the weight. However, it is not easy to reduce the weight and improve the stiffness at the same time, which is a test of the design ability. The stiffness-to-weight ratio has the greatest impact on tonality. You can feel that the bike accelerates faster and is more responsive. What’s interesting is that even if the entire vehicle is heavier, the frame group’s stiffness-to-weight ratio can still provide excellent feedback (tunability). At present, it seems that the higher the stiffness-to-weight ratio, the better.

pneumatic

In an era when road bikes are fully aerodynamic, it would be embarrassing to see a bikes without aerodynamic elements. Aerodynamics is also the best battlefield for designers. When the UCI relaxes the tube shape rules, it can make a drastic new design. But the core thing is not to affect the riding experience, that is, not to affect the weight, stiffness, and comfort too much. The reason is that the speed brought by aerodynamics varies depending on the scene and the driver. Let’s give an example. If you are riding, the aerodynamic perception is not obvious unless you are riding at a speed of more than 30 kilometers/hour. During training, especially flat road circle training, the aerodynamic perception is the most obvious. BX conducts a 22-kilometer single-brush circle in Jiangxinzhou. Maintaining a speed of 39+ relies heavily on the aerodynamic performance of the bicycle. It is crucial that the frame set can reduce 5w of air resistance. , because it is very difficult to increase the power of stable output. The competition is different according to the positioning of the driver. The aerodynamics are very critical for the riders on the platform to break through. Most drivers are mixed in the group and the aerodynamic impact is not that big. Take the Colorful Yunnan Granfondo Cycling Festival that BX participated in as an example. Dali Station has the least climb around the Erhai Lake. It stands to reason that aerodynamics are the most important, but as long as you can keep up with the group, there is no need to worry about aerodynamics. On the contrary, fast acceleration is more important. After small groups encounter hills and corners, they will accelerate to screen out riders. If they do not accelerate quickly, they will be thrown away. On the contrary, Mr. BX feels that aerodynamics are more needed in stages with many climbs, because more time is spent flying solo. When going downhill, aerodynamic road bikes are obviously faster, and they can rest better by reducing pedaling.

Comfortable

Comfort is important in all scenarios and all riders, fast or slow, can benefit from comfort. Of course, comfort can be obtained immediately by reducing tire pressure, but if you don't want to affect efficiency and snake bite punctures, please use tubeless tires. However, tires can only alleviate high-frequency small vibrations. When encountering large impacts, you still need to rely on the frame set to alleviate them, such as hitting a pothole or hitting a speed bump. A well-cushioned frame set is not only comfortable but also prevents loss of control. When the speed increased to more than 50 km/h, the difference between different frame groups was obvious. The frame group with good comfort can control the bike and give you the confidence to continue accelerating. A good frameset can only slow down and ensure safety. The comfort mentioned has a deeper meaning, that is, the ability to maintain stable control under large impacts, which is a shortcoming of many frames and wheels.

In 2024, we developed new deign for aero road frameset as below, there are 2 version with different carton(T700 and T1100). T700. is normal weight, about 950g in M size,T1100 is ultralight frames with only 750g.

Well come to contact us for any sample or order inquirements.