How did NASA's research on aerodynamics make bicycle racing a safer sport?
In 1991, two DuPont engineers, Mark Hopkins and Frank Principe, worked with Specialized Bicycle Components, Inc. to design a new wheel for racing bikes which increased aerodynamic efficiency. They did this by incorporating NASA’s airfoil technology into the thinnest and lightest possible spoke arrangement that would support a racer and the bike frame. They came up with a three-spoke design, with the leading edge of the spoke blunt, and the trailing edge thin to maximize aerodynamic efficiency. Their only problem was making the spokes stiff enough that they wouldn’t bend or snap under the weight of a rider. They used a composite of epoxy resin reinforced with fibers of carbon, glass, and Kevlar®. The final product, the Aero Wheel, retailed at approximately $1220 in today’s dollars.
“The duPont engineers conducted extensive research on the latest data available relative to drag coefficients for NASA airfoils and determined an optimum profile to balance aerodynamic and structural needs. The basic design they selected is a three spoke wheel, each spoke in effect an airfoil, with a blunt leading edge and a thin trailing edge to maximize aerodynamic efficiency as the spoke moves through the air like a helicopter's rotary wing.” - Bicycle Wheel
In 1985, the U.S. Cycling Federation ruled that bike-racers must wear helmets that meet a national safety standard. At the time, they were hot and heavy, causing more trouble than they were worth. Jim Gentes, president of Giro Sport Design, Inc. went to Raymond Hicks, an aerodynamicist at Ames Research Center to design a lightweight helmet that didn’t overheat. Hicks created a helmet using NASA airfoil technology, which maximizes aerodynamic efficiency. The helmet he created included air vents which keep the head cool and also reduce drag. Since 1986, the Giro helmet has evolved, and is still in use today.