Does anyone have thoughts on this? It relates to my 24hr Record and Unisk8rs’ geared uni threads. As we start getting bigger gears on unicycles, drag is going to be an increasing factor limiting our speed.
How would a unicycle compare to a bike in terms of aerodynamics? Even in a crouched position I am much more upright on my Coker than on my road bike, but then there is only one wheel (albeit a big one) to create drag, and also less frame tubing. Would a unicycle with the same gear ratio, riding on the flat with no wind, be at an advantage or disadvantage to a bike?
Your body is going to be the biggest component for drag. So, when you ride a unicycle, you’l be more upright, and then you’re going to have more drag than on a bike.
Having some experience with aero bars, I found that too low of a hand position compromised your control. Probably because you tend to put more weight on your hands the lower their position. The point is to be able to finesse the bars up or down to make minor adjustments in your position and speed.
I now have my hands just a couple inches below my seat level. I use the forward position of the bars and bending at the elbows to get lower, rather than the bar height itself. This allows me to have a more subtle input on the bars, and thus better control.
I have also tried arm rests, like on bikes, but that only seemed to make matters worse, because you don’t input with your elbows.
Pete