TRIATHLON / BIKE RACE NUMBER HOLDERS / RACING SHELLS / GEAR BOXES
                                                  aerodynamically designed / light weight / practical

Check out our Smartmount Bike Race Number Holder installation video at
www.youtube.com/watch?v=35cVMJLmj1o
Check out our Smartmount aerodynamic carbon fiber bike tool box installation video at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpeDQah74CQ
Great bike resource website
http://hypercatcycling.wordpress.com/

Like us at http://www.facebook.com/pages/smartmount-triathlon-race-number-holders-for-your-bike-and-helmet/202739808931



Reviews
Reviewshttp://hypercatcycling.wordpress.com/2010/11/30/smartmount-race-number-holder-review/



Articles

MOST COMMON QUESTION ABOUT OUR RACING SHELL
Jerry Trump
9/15/2010

Why doesn’t the Smartmount racing shell have a long tail more like a Time Trial Helmet?

To answer the question, one needs to know WHY the above statement is true. The answer lies with the position of the rider, not the tail. In fact, wind tunnel tests show that a rider with a time trial helmet riding with their head down  (causing the tail of the helmet to point upward) still produce less drag than a rider with their head upright and facing forward wearing the same helmet. Also... Riding in a cross wind, the tail itself will actually cause more turbulence when pointing upward. So why does the rider fare better overall with the wind, with the head down and tail up? When a rider looks down, they drop their profile. The lower the rider, the less drag overall. That is why we use aero bars. To get us low.

However… Unless you have a mirror taped to your bike, positioned so you can look down at it and see the reflection of the road ahead of you, you will be MORE OFTEN riding with your face more forward, so you can see where you are going! Because of this, MOST OF THE TIME, having the tail is not a significant improvement with all but a few of us. If you ride so low that your head is practically even with your back, then the tail makes a great difference. However, as docuemented by Princeton engineer and cycling prodigy Nick Frey in an aticle on active.com, if the tail is not hugging your back, that void will actually cause drag. For the majority of us, the Smartmount racing shell is hands down a better option.

Again, the issue is with you the rider, and your position on the bike. Unless you are in that wind tunnel getting tested on your bike, shelling out a hundred fifty bucks or more, on a time trial helmet may either be the best triathlon related purchase you will ever make -- or not.  If you have looked at time trial helmets lately, they are very different from each other, and all seem to be “THE” helmet to have for best aerodynamics.  Simply put, you don’t know which one will work the best for you by looking at them. With the Smartmount Racing shell, you will always be faster than with a regular road helmet in non drafting races. You will be getting the best value for your money.

NOTE:

The Smartmount Triathlon Racing Shell is made from a fiberglass composite that is very light. The surface of the shell is finished with a high grade automotive top coat. The dome of the shell appears to be perfectly curved and smooth.  However, if you look VERY closely at the shell, you can make out dips and flat places across the surface. The last coat of the clear top coat covering has also been left at a stage called “orange peel” as opposed to a high buff polish (although from three feet away, it looks just like the finish on a motorcycle helmet). The reason for all of this is because it turns out that air does not flow over smooth surfaces quite as efficiently as irregular surfaces. This is why if you look at a high end set of disk wheels, you will find they have different size indents throughout the disk surface.  A golf ball is the ultimate example of how air flows better over irregular shaped surfaces than smooth ones.  And while we considered the idea of dimpling the shell as we did our tool box, we could not overcome the issue of esthetics. We simply didn’t find it acceptable to make a shell that would have you riding down the road looking like you are wearing a large golf ball on your head. We suffer enough indignity as it is, with all that spandex we wear, in the name of speed. So we managed to make a shell that is very aerodynamic, but still looks cool.