Riding a slippery recumbent demonstrates empirically that aerodynamics is a major factor in bicycle performance once you get moving quickly. BROL member Trip posted a link to a nice bicycle performance calculator that allows you to try different variables and see their effect on speed and power.To see the differences in a typical situation I compared myself riding a Tri-bike, a road bike and a lowracer at 35kph on flat ground with no wind. The power needed for each configuration is:
DF road bike on top of bars = 290W
DF road bike in the drops = 213W
Tri-bike = 185W
Lowracer = 140W
Wow! That certainly explains why I can blow away DF bikers on my Fujin. It isn't that I am a cycling God...lol...[darn!]...it is because it requires so much less energy.
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