British Cyclist Chris Boardman is known to this day as being a perfectionist at racing against the clock. Beginning with an Individual Pursuit gold medal in the '92 games on the track, he also recorded the fastest ever Tour prologue in '94. Not content, he has broken and re-broken the track hour record three times. And although it's safe to say it's first and foremost Boardman's engine that propelled him to victory, he'll be the first to tell you that bicycle aerodynamics play no small role. His Elite 9. 8 Air TT is designed to cheat wind making the task at hand a little easier on your legs. Using the latest Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and wind tunnel tests, Boardman was able to experiment with many different combinations of fiber types, fiber directions, resins, and tube shapes to ultimately come up with a TT frame design directly related to airflow. Similar to the AiR 9. 8, every tube on the AiR TT was meticulously examined and tested to be as efficient, lightweight, and aerodynamic as possible. Boardman carefully designed the AiR TT's tubes with shapes that not only efficiently handle head-on winds, but also those less-than-ideal crosswinds encountered in racing situations. These wind-tunnel-tested tubes wear a fairly slender width profile throughout, which creates the optimal balance between vertical compliance and aerodynamics. The top tube remains fairly round, while the down tube, seat tube, and integrated (and reversible) seatpost have been shaped to maximize airflow and reduce wind resistance.The material selected for the AiR TT's frame is an ultralight, high modulus, and unidirectional carbon fiber that's been constructed with a full monocoque design. Similarly, the fork was built out of the same predictable, race-tested, and ultralight carbon fiber. The AiR's mold also incorporates a one-piece PF30 bottom bracket and oversized Boardman designed box section chainstays, which, with a steep taper design at the dropouts, maximizes power tra...
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