Go faster (possibly) with the Aero Hump Pocket aerodynamic cycling jersey upgrade

Paul J wrote:

Gkam, none of the things you list applied to the hump when it was first seen in motorcycle racing. The humps have been around since the early 00s, and electronics in suits are a more recent thing. It also took a few seasons for the manufacturers to realise they could use the hump for drinks.

As for rider protection by preventing whiplash, I've never heard that before. The hump is far enough back that if a helmeted head was rotated that far back to hit it they would be dead. Do you have a cite for that reason? Also, John Hinds (road racing emergency doctor, RIP) has pointed out they make it much harder to intubate a rider on scene, as it elevates the back and so makes the head rotate back, bending the neck.

Sorry, I should have made myself clearer, I meant nowadays when the airbags are used in conjunction with the hump to provide protection, basically stabilizing the head and neck giving very little room for them to move at all. The hump by itself does provide a certain level of protection, as your neck can only go so far back, because the hump will stop the helmet.

Paul J wrote:

The initial motivating factor for the hump, to my recollection, was aerodynamics. It's a similar shape to the fail fairing on quite a few racing motorcycles too (Aprilia RSV250, at least some HRC NSR250s, at least some Yamaha TZ250's).

Spot on, when the humps first started appearing, it was purely aerodynamic, but these days, that isn't an important factor unless you are still spinning around on a 125/250.

Gkam84 wrote:

Spot on, when the humps first started appearing, it was purely aerodynamic, but these days, that isn't an important factor unless you are still spinning around on a 125/250.

Aerodynamics are *incredibly* important in motorcycle racing. Valentino Rossi and (RIP) Marco Simoncelli have been noted to be at a disadvantage on top-end speed because they are (were for Marco) relatively tall guys - at least by grand prix racing standards (not that tall really, but most riders are smaller, and some are tiny). Their frame ends up sticking up a bit more than their competitors, and they can't tuck in as well behind the fairing.

Further, I'm pretty sure they appeared in the 500cc and 250cc classes before the noticably slower 125cc. (The 250cc prototype two-stroke motorbikes were *incredibly* fast bikes, they were faster than the production-engine, four-stroke 600cc Moto2 bikes of today; those things would leave 1 litre superbikes of their day behind too).

Aerodynamics are even more important in the slower classes, but that doesn't make them unimportant in the faster classes.

farrell wrote:

Didn't Wiggins use a shapely ice pack in a TT once?

No, It was later found to be his spine.

therealsmallboy wrote:

Hahaha!

Some loon will actually buy this thinking it will help.

Don't, it won't.

Probably the same "loons" who buy aero helmets, gloves and overshoes. It doesn't look pretty but might make a difference. The same idea has been used in Moto GP for years.

It's not for me, though.

Except for the fact that MotoGP riders go up to 340 km/h.

harragan wrote:

therealsmallboy wrote:

Hahaha!

Some loon will actually buy this thinking it will help.

Don't, it won't.

Probably the same "loons" who buy aero helmets, gloves and overshoes. It doesn't look pretty but might make a difference. The same idea has been used in Moto GP for years.

It's not for me, though.

Aero is right at the bottom of the list behind the "hump" in Moto GP.

Firstly, it is actually rider protection, it prevents whiplash by helping stabilise the helmet and preventing it from falling far enough back to cause serious damage to the neck.

Then there are many other factors it is used for. Many riders have them ventilated at the top, which draws air in and down through your leathers to help with cooling. In some of the hotter races, they put a small liquid pouch in their with a tube to their helmet to provide some liquid, not really to hydrate, more just to keep your mouth from drying out and being uncomfortable.

Also in that "hump" are electronic devices, which constantly monitor the rider, these are connected to various pads built into the leathers that give heart rate, temperature....etc readings and are beamed back to the pit wall. In the event of a crash, this can also provide G ratings and force indications to medical teams treating the rider. So instead of having to get them out of the helmet and suit to wire them up, pretty much all information is available to them from the suit itself. It also controls the airbag deployment if it goes over certain limits of tolerance. These are set by governing bodies, then manufactures set them and they cannot be changed. This is why in the beginning of airbags in race suits, they used to go off on certain corners where the G was they much, it set them off, without the rider even leaving the bike.

Then, you might look at aerodynamics, In the lower classes, yes, it will provide some help, but the speed they are going, something which provides such a small advantage wouldn't even be considered as its weight to aero ratio would be so small.