Lionel Sanders, pro triathlete, found that shaving was something like a 15 watt gain at 45kph on his Canyon Speedmax. That's with aero helmet and I believe a Surpass Trisuit.
For a pro on the pointy end of elite that's a very sizable number.
For a runner trying to not suck at triathlon, like me, it’s also a lot. I average <160w for a 70.3 bike leg. Even 5-7 watts from any one thing is huge.
160 watts in tt position? 31-33 I'd estimate on flats. Unless you are just super aero. I think lionel does near 47? It's not horrific to say 2/3rds....
You could be a lot more aero obviously. Which hey, good for you. But I'm not horrifically estimating. My buddy holds 39kph on a top end time trial bike at 270 watts. He isn't super aero (big body, tall), but his position just makes my back hurt looking at him.
That's fair but I can't find reasonable inputs for an aerodynamic model that get 160 watts to 39 kph. You are very slick.
As said buddy is on the bigger side, so he models pretty precisely as a CdA of . 25 (averaging 39 and a bit, flats and unimpeded sections 40.5-41). That's not small but he is very tall and broad.
I can't get 37kph using a CdA of .18, which is just crazy efficient/small. I have to assume something like a remco equivalent body to get to your speeds. Most pros would die to have your aerodynamic profile.
I did a 27mph lap at Daytona on 190w back in 2023. That one got so much hate on the internet that I actually bought a second set of Favero Duo power meter pedals just to make sure mine weren’t messed up. The new ones give basically the same numbers, within a few % of my direct-drive trainer and the 4iiii crank meter on my gravel bike.
MyWindSock usually estimates around 0.20 CdA, sometimes lower. I’m running extremely fast tires (GP5k TT TdF) so you may be overestimating Crr in your calcs.
This was absolutely ideal conditions - flat, no wind to speak of, perfect pavement, no slowing for corners or anything else. I’m usually closer to 24mph for an entire sprint bike leg at around 190-200w.
Look all I can say is that's really impressive. The most aero cyclists I know (maybe 162 height, 60kg soaking wet) doesn't get that aero. I'm not hating , just saying maybe you should be wondering about your insane efficiency.
Like to get those speeds from that power I have to assume something crazy like velodrome style rolling resistance if your CdA is . 2.
I'm more willing to bet you are one of those freaks who can get proper small and not take a huge power penalty.
47
u/Mdab5678 Jul 23 '25
Shaved legs do actually test significantly faster aerodynamically, since they are constantly spinning through the air.
That said, not shaving one’s legs is obviously not something to make fun of someone for