Quote:
Originally Posted by parabellum
I would like to ask if there are any aerodynamic modifications that would do any good for a typical bicycle (in my case this is a diamond frame)?
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Parabellum, I have been a bike commuter for roughly 40 years and an avid cyclist for much of that time. In my experience, anything you do to a diamond frame bicycle will have minimal effect on your commute times. I commute year round wearing bulky, baggy clothes in winter. The biggest drag comes from the rider. If you can get your upper body low and your back level with the ground that will make the biggest difference. You will decrease your CdA so a drop bar may be better than a flat handlebar. An "aero-bar" may get you even flatter but it is not practical to ride that way in traffic.
Anything you add to the bike may help in some ideal conditions but be a hindrance in everyday use. Bicycles are much more influenced by a crosswinds than are motorcycles. A 20 mph crosswind on a bicycle at 15 mps still feels like a nasty crosswind. A 20 mph crosswind at 60 mph on a motorcycle acts like mostly a headwind. Sailors talk of apparent wind, physicists speak in terms of vectors but you get the point. Many of the things that work for motorcycles could make you slower in the real world. Save up and build a tadpole trike velomobile as the ultimate commuter bike (or Human Powered Vehicle).