Kammtail Virtual Foil (KVF) tube shaping
KVF is a truncated tail aerodynamic shape that employs the advantages of airfoils in a cycling-specific platform that is light and stiff, and performs well in crosswinds. It also provides a more comfortable ride with additional vertical compliance.
Full integration
From hidden cables to hidden storage, every bit of the Speed Concept is fully integrated for the most aero advantage. We tested lots of different configurations to find the best aero spot for both water bottles and nutrition.
Custom airfoils
We paid close attention to the optimisation of certain parts of the Speed Concept chassis. For example, we wanted to reduce the drag of the bike’s new disc brakes, so we performed dozens of fork shape simulations to find the most aero one.
Cockpit
The Speed Concept now has two towers instead of one to channel air cleanly around the torso and help break up the turbulence between a rider’s moving legs. The shaping of the extensions and pads also turns the rider’s arms into a more efficient airfoil.
Head tube
The other big drag area is between the rider’s legs and behind the saddle. The Speed Concept’s new head tube shaping and the shaping on the bottom of the between-the-arms bottle conditions the airflow in order to reduce the drag generated by the legs.
Fork
Careful fork design plus impressive new aero wheel tech delivers the stopping power of disc brakes without the drag. We accomplished this through HEEDS optimisation, running thousands of simulations to find the best fork shapes.
Seat stays
We fine-tuned the angle of Speed concept's seat stays to be more aerodynamic. These 'dropped' stays join with the seat tube in a lower position instead of at the top tube, presenting less frontal area to create dirty air flow.
Consistent conditions
A dialled process and very accurate wind tunnel are crucial for optimising small gains. We used the same aerospace-grade tunnel for all testing to ensure consistency, spending a few weeks inside the tunnel honing Speed Concept to fast perfection.
Consistent rider
We used Manny, our full pedalling mannequin, for every wind tunnel test. For each run, we took a side silhouette photo of Manny's bike set-up. This ensured that he was in exactly the same spot so we could detect and optimise small changes in performance.
Real-world testing
Once we were happy with the prototype, we enlisted riders of every gender and size to test each frame size and confirm that the gains we found translate in real life. We gathered data as riders buzzed down a quiet country road in Waterloo, Wisconsin.