Of the 300+ articles we have published, one of our most popular is the Giro Air Attack – Final Thoughts. We are huge fans of this helmet and we were happy to say as much. As part of the article we shared Giro’s own findings on the Aerodynamic Efficiency and Cooling Power.
However we never got into the specific details on how much time you would actually save with an Air Attack. Luckily our reader Dean pointed that out to us.
Mike I was wondering if you could give me the time savings from the attack and selector with the drag numbers you provided. Also if you rode with the Aeon how much slower would you be. I am looking to get one I ride now with the Aeon i do time trails on my stock bike. I was 4th overall at my last race first for 50+. Just thought with a aero helmet I could shave some time but so not know if that time is worth the price
Unfortunately we didn’t have the answer on hand but we were able reach out to Giro and get some data. The graph below is based on a 40km TT effort:
With the Air Attack, Giro is claiming a savings of 17 seconds. 17 Seconds may not seem like much, but just last week one of our AG friends won by just 21 seconds. We suspect the runner up would have loved to have an extra 17 seconds.
Dean, thanks for the question. We are hoping this gave you the info you needed to make your decision!
For any of our readers with additional questions, contact us at info@aerogeeks.com. You can also reach out to us on Twitter at @AeroGeeks and on Facebook.
17 seconds saved at 50kph is good to know, but as a typical age grouper averaging 70kph on the bike in Ironman events, what can I expect to save?
Joking of course. The numbers aren’t as impressive when measured at realistic age grouper speeds like 30kph…
50kph?! Holy cats!
In other words, no measurable difference for us mortals?
Cervelo did a very interesting article on the benefits of aero equipment for the mere mortal – http://www.cervelo.com/en/engineering/thinking-and-processes/slow-vs-fast-riders.html. Even the rest of us can benefit from aero improvements.
That’s a good point. Thanks for the share.
My only remaining thought would be that since drag increases at twice the rate of speed, a helmet saving 10.5 watts at 33.3mph would only save 2.6 watts at 16.6mph. Yes, that’s a slow ride for most of your readers. ~3-4 watts is still 3-4 watts though….unless my assumption that drag = watts is wrong. I don’t know what “Drag Reduction” refers to. Grams?
Owning an Aeon and two aero helmets, I would have guessed there was more of a difference based purely upon the amount of noise generated by the Aeon. 🙂
Keep up the great work! If you guys ever start a Northern Midwest testing team, I’ll be the first applicant.
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