It was solely a matter of time. Bikes have been optimised, jerseys and shorts trimmed till not an oz. of cloth stays to flap, and helmets sculpted within the wind tunnel. Now, due to POC, we’ve the primary claimant to aerodynamic sun shades. Our checklist of the greatest biking sun shades accommodates many closely wrapped specs, however to our data, none of them declare to be aerodynamically optimised.
The POC Propel sun shades, as seen adorning the faces of the riders from EF Schooling-Easypost on the Tour Down Underneath have been designed utilizing CFD evaluation and wind tunnel testing to be as slippery as attainable.
Aero by design
Many biking sun shades, for causes of improved subject of view, characteristic an in depth match and a closely wrapped lens; the Oakley Kato, for instance. To our data none have been examined in a wind tunnel or utilizing computational fluid dynamics to make. Given the assets poured into making the main edges of a motorbike as quick as attainable (assume shaving millimetres off a head tube right here and there) it’s one thing of a shock that sun shades have taken so lengthy to get the identical remedy.
“We all know the world of efficiency biking is about marginal beneficial properties, and each watt saved could make a distinction,” explains POC’s head of eyewear, Tilda Håll. “We examined frequently with CFD to analysis and fine-tune our concepts. The outcomes led us to design the eyewear with the rider’s physique and place within the forefront of our minds. The result’s probably the most aerodynamic eyewear we’ve ever produced.”
The Propel sun shades reduce a easy silhouette, with the basic POC design language evident all through. The place they differ from choices such because the Elicit is that the lens, slightly than sitting flat, away from the face like a protect, wraps across the facet of the face to easy the airflow.
In addition to the claimed aero wins (absolute watt financial savings will not be quoted), it is usually claimed to enhance the sphere of view by masking extra of the peripheral imaginative and prescient. Whereas we’re but to check them (a pair is en path to Cyclingnews HQ as we converse, so keep tuned), in our testing of the Oakley Kato we did discover a corresponding enchancment in peripheral protection over much less closely wrapped shades.
Specs and availability
The Propel sun shades, as with others within the POC vary, are optimised to be used with POC helmets, so if you’d like the utmost aero profit then that’s seemingly the place you’ll discover it. The form of the higher is designed in order to sit down flush with the brim of the helmets in a perfect world.
The temples are adjustable in size and grip (by which we assume how a lot they bend inwards), and every set ships with a transparent lens to swap out for the Readability lenses when the solar goes down, and three totally different nostril bridges. As for color choices, there are six inventory mixtures of body and lens, with an extra eight lens choices to choose from must you want to change it up for various circumstances.
If you need a pair they’ll set you again $250 / €249 and they’re accessible now. UK pricing is but to be confirmed.
