We will soon have multiple applications to use for Bike Racing
Sign up for a free accountDesigning the fastest bicycle is one of the most complex vehicle aerodynamic applications.
Analyzing aerodynamics can help bicycle manufacturers adjust rider position, streamline bicycles, improve the design of each element. Professional teams can use it to choose the best tactics for winning races.
Just like in other racing sports, cycling teams are investing resources to seek technological advantages over competitors. The manufacturers experiment with new design solutions to improve their product performance. The primary goal is to improve the aerodynamics of the rider and the bicycle.
Designing the fastest bicycle is one of the most complex vehicle aerodynamic applications because the designers cannot shape at will the silhouette and movement of the rider. Finding the best configuration for the airflow performance of such a biomechanical system is very challenging.
Fortunately, the designers have a new tool to do it: automatic Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. It makes visualisations of bike racers in different environments possible at the earliest stage of the design process. CFD software makes it possible to run advanced and precise airflow simulations on a virtual model. The newest generation of CFD software is automatic so that it can be operated directly by a designer.
Bicycle manufacturers and cycling team trainers can identify the high-pressure areas – where air resistance is the highest. It turns out that neck-to-shoulder and pelvic regions of the rider are crucial.
A bike as well as rider aerodynamics will perform differently when riding alone, in a small group or in a crowded peloton.
Recent use of CFD analysis led to redesigning a bicycles frame, but the process is ongoing. Moving the seat and changing the contours of the wheels and frame just by millimetres can improve or diminish the racer's overall performance.
Due to airflow changes with speed and the external environment, it is impossible to predict how a new solution would work during a race without performing many CFD simulations. Using laser scanning technology provided by Ingrid Cloud enables scientists and engineers to produce a very detailed and precise mesh.
A bike as well as rider aerodynamics will perform differently when riding alone, in a small group or in a crowded peloton. Their performance will change with speed, and the speed and direction of the wind during the race.
Some CFD simulation results are counterintuitive. It turned out that in a group of six cyclists riding one after another, it is the second to last rider who works the least - not the last one. CFD simulations also prove that a car following a cyclist at a 5 metre distance can “push” him or her, substantially leading an even 100-second advantage to the finish line. In bike racing, every gram of drag can be critical for the final result of a race, which is why this industry can benefit a lot from automatic CFD software solutions.