On this triathlon expert Q&A call, Josh Poertner from Zipp will fill you in on everything you need to know about about bike gear, aerodynamics, wheels or aerobars! Here’s Josh’s bio:
“I raced on the road as a junior with some success, signed with a French team and went to France at 18, where I was pretty much schooled day in and day out. I received a scholarship for engineering to Vanderbilt University and returned from Europe to go to school. Ended up coming to Indianapolis for a job designing a prototype car for LeMans (remember the Cadillac LMP..total disaster), and ended up meeting Andy Ording at Zipp, which was next
door.
The company was small, only 18 people with 1 engineer, so when the other guy quit, I sort of became the head engineer. In the last 10 years, I have either created or led teams creating a lot of firsts for the industry. We were the first to sell a wheelset with ceramic bearings in 2001. We insourced our hub production from overseas to right here in Indy, and began sourcing Swiss bearings instead of Asian..
I developed the dimpled wheel concept and then the tooling necessary to produce it. Then the First collet/compression sleeve aerobar, which was also the first aerobar with ‘on the hoods’ positioning which changed the look. In 2004, after 2 years of shopping around SRM and windtunnel data on carbon wheels, Andy and I finally convinced somebody that EVERY rider needs aero wheel EVERY day…that guy was Bjarne Riis, and in 12 months
they were the number 1 team in the world. We sort of completely changed the way the peloton looked! We brought back the toroidal rim concept from the dead and used it to make the world’s fastest non-disc that was also road legal.
By 2006 I was heading a design team of 3 people and we created the ‘bump disc’ which became known as the Sub9, the first wheel to repeatably produce negative drag. Then came 1080 and 202, which was the first aerodynanmically optimized climbing wheel. Then the Tangente, the world’s first aero optimized tire… currently I am Technical director of the company and Category manager of Zipp within SRAM. Basically I oversee new technology development and execution for Zipp and work with the pro teams and athletes to make them faster.”
Keep reading to get instant access to the call with Josh!
Questions include:
Kerry asks: What type of wheel is the best “all around wheelset” for triathlon?
Listener Paul says: Can anybody use a disc? Or if you’re a relatively new rider, does it not give much benefit?
Listener Rebecca asks: What is better for a regular Olympic distance triathlon without drafting – the aerobars that are shaped like downhill ski poles, or the ones that curve up?
Listener Chris asks: I’ve heard that dimples are good for making really fast objects like golf balls aerodynamic, but do they work for slower objects like bike wheels?Listener Kevin asks: Describe your dream bike set-up for a time trial.
Listener Shannon asks: Based on aerodynamics, when is the best time to eat and drink during a race, and on a related note, what is the most aerodynamic way to carry fuel on the bike during a longer race like a 70.3 or Ironman event?
Listener Ed asks: How much of a difference does the hub make?
To listen in NOW, just click on the call below…
[powerpress]