Aero Tips is a short and quick column launched by Swiss Side, an aerodynamic solution expert, to share some aerodynamic knowledge about road bikes. We will also update them from time to time. I hope you can learn something useful from it.

The topic of this issue is interesting. It talks about the power difference of different riding positions of road bikes at 35km/h, and how much time can be saved in the simulation of the 100km + 1500m climbing stage.

The test starts with the cross section of the handlebars, which has the most wind resistance and is also the most casual, to compare how much saving and how much faster the other positions are.

First of all, changing the grip position from the horizontal position of the handle to the most commonly used straight-hand grip position can save an astonishing 17 watts at 35km/h, which can be completed in 4 minutes and 45 seconds faster in the simulation of the 100km stage.

Then switch to the position of straightening the arms and grabbing the lower handle, which can save 25 watts at 35km/h, which can be completed in 7 minutes faster in the simulation of the 100km stage.

Now let’s get into some more aerodynamic poses. Turning the arm into a 90° gripper head to lower the upper body can save 37 watts of power at 35km/h, which can be 10 minutes faster in the simulation of the 100km stage.

In the final sprint, using the most aggressive arm bend to grab the off-duty stance saves 47 watts at 35km/h, however it can’t be that slow in the final stage, and the power savings is actually much higher than that. In the simulation of the 100km stage, you can go as fast as 13 minutes, but since ordinary people do not have such a terrifying core strength, this can only be a theoretical value.

Therefore, the maximum aerodynamic gain is actually free of cost. The aerodynamic gain of aerodynamic posture is much higher than that of equipment, but aerodynamic posture also requires higher flexibility and core muscles of the human body. So, if you want to go faster, core muscle training is essential.