When the margin of victory is measured in thousands of a second, every inch, every gram, every angle matters. In the effort to move an object through air in the most efficient manner possible, Trek engineers dream, draw, build, test, and repeat. The countless hours of development and work are paid in the raised arms of thousands of athletes the world over grateful to have met their challenge. Whether its ever spoken, every age group triathlon, every World Tour Time Trial, every coffee ride sprint finish, the work of Trek's Analysis Team plays a role.

Wind tunnel testing

Ideas you can argue. Data you cannot. So when it comes time for the hard math of Trek's aerodynamic development efforts, the laboratory becomes a little more claustrophobic. The wind tunnel is the perfect laboratory for testing the aerodynamic performance of cycling equipment and Trek has been committed to its use for over two decades of development. Tested in the same tunnels used by aerospace engineers, equipment design breakthroughs such as Kammtail Virtual Foil and Bontrager's Aeolus line of aero wheels have been tested in the wind tunnel and proven on cycling's biggest stages.

Manny

A key member, though typically unheralded, of Trek's Analysis Team is the aerodynamic mannequin the team has lovingly dubbed, "Manny." More the strong silent type, Manny, is an inanimate surrogate capable of a pedaling motion that addresses the muscular limitations of human design by being able to hold a consistent aerodynamic position for however long required by the team. This allows the Analysis Team to work specifically on whatever they are trying to prove during their time in the tunnel. And at the end of the day, Manny conveniently folds into a custom made case easily checked on all major airlines.

Computational Fluid Dynamics

Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) is a program that Trek engineers deploy throughout various development cycles to test early tube shape concepts that exist only as three dimensional drawings. CFD acts as a virtual wind tunnel to test the aerodynamic potential of the drawing to determine whether prototyping can continue or further refinement is required. It’s aided Trek in our most important contributions to aerodynamics including Kammtail Virtual Foil and Bontrager’s Aeolus wheel line. While CFD cannot completely replace the need for wind tunnel testing, it can drastically reduce development time and turn ideas into reality much faster.

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