"The days of racing bike frames with a round cross-section are numbered." The Swiss bicycle manufacturer Scott has recently advertised its premium Foil model with this provocative statement. It is not only the statement itself that is controversial, but also who is making it. For a good decade, Scott was the manufacturer that most of the industry looked to for guidance when it came to lightweight construction. Even today, the Addict
introduced by Scott in 2006 still stands at 816 grams as the third lightest series frame ever tested in the TOUR database. However, instead of developing the model further, the Swiss company discontinued the Addict in 2011 - in favour of the Foil, which was developed with aerodynamic aspects in mind.
Away from pure lightweight construction and towards aerodynamics: Scott is definitely taking a risk with this new direction. Unlike weight and stiffness, statements on aerodynamics are difficult to verify. To date, no known test method has adequately taken into account the aerodynamic quality of road bike frames. According to current standards, which are modelled on the TOUR test and evaluate the mechanical qualities, the Foil even performs worse than its predecessor because it is almost a hundred grams heavier. Where, please, is the progress?
The test results of the aero racers can be found below as a PDF download.
You can find the video about the wind tunnel test here:
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Downloads:
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