Pride II: the fastest road bike in the world

The story behind the world's fastest road bike

"We want to develop the fastest road bike in the world!" That was the clear goal SIMPLON set itself about two years ago. Too ambitious of a goal? Not at all!

Because the result is impressive: In the development of the Pride II, the experts have found the perfect compromise between aerodynamics and the weight of the road bike in order to save the maximum number of watts. Important as well: It fulfils all the regulations of the new UCI guidelines.

Find out more about the exciting journey from the design process to the finished top racer now!

How it all started ...

The first step in the production of a bike is its design. During this first stage in the development of the Pride II, the guidelines of the cycling world federation UCI played an important role. They define exactly which tube dimensions may be used, which in turn affects the aerodynamics.

CFD simulations: time-saving preliminary work in a virtual environment 

Right at the outset, SIMPLON's experts enlisted the support of the aerodynamics specialists at Swiss Side. The Swiss aerodynamics service provider and wheel manufacturer took over the implementation of the CFD simulations. These numerical flow simulations are also known as computational fluid dynamics, hence the abbreviation CFD. 

Three-dimensional sketches of the tube concepts, the forks and cockpit or the seatpost were tested in several development steps in a virtual wind tunnel. The central focus: their aerodynamic potential. A clear advantage of CFD simulations: They shorten the development process and save costs.

Based on the results of the CFD simulations, the design of the components was refined further and further, which brought the bike closer to an aerodynamic optimum. Numerous iteration steps were necessary for this. In addition to the aerodynamics, the frame also had to be optimised in terms of stiffness, weight, ergonomics, and cable routing.
 

Time for the wind tunnel: virtual reality followed by real life 

After the virtual wind tunnel, the next step was to test the bike in a real-life one. There, not only wind from the front is simulated, but also crosswind: Under the influence of these winds, the special shape of the Pride II's tubes creates a so-called sailing effect. This means that the air flowing in from the side hits the specially designed tubes like a sail, pushing the bike forward. Ergo: The overall drag is significantly reduced. 

By the way: It’s not only professionals riding at speeds of more than 40 km/h who benefit from this reduced drag. Recreational athletes riding at lower speeds can benefit from the sailing effect as well! How? The effect of sideways wind is much more potent at lower speeds because the inflowing air exerts an even greater effect over a longer period of time. 

In the real-life wind tunnel, the SIMPLON development team received the first confirmation of the precise preliminary work in the fictitious test environment: The previous calculations were not only confirmed but even exceeded a bit. At a speed of 45 kilometres per hour, the power requirement was 55.30 watts. That’s 30.20 watts less than on the already very fast predecessor model, the Pride I. 

And that's not all: This is the best value ever measured on a road bike that complies with UCI guidelines!

Pride I vs. Pride II: reality check at a race

After this amazing result in the wind tunnel, the experts at SIMPLON wanted to be sure: They had the two Pride models compete against each other at the well-known Austrian "King of the Lake" race at Lake Attersee. The Pride II floored everyone: Calculations showed that the bike completed the total distance of 47.4 kilometres around 2:02 minutes faster than the Pride I. That’s a speed advantage of 2.6 seconds per kilometre!

Final verdict: an aero racer unlike any other 

If you’re a passionate road cyclist looking for a first-rate model in terms of aerodynamics, you should definitely check out the Pride II. We recommend you take the powerhouse for a test ride, so you can feel for yourself how fast it truly is. Just getting a quick glance at it in passing won’t be enough – after all, it’s the fastest road bike in the world! 

By the way: Triathletes can also toy with the idea of getting a Pride II. The SIMPLON Pride TRI was specifically developed for them. The frameset is the same, but it comes with a comprehensive triathlon cockpit that was developed in collaboration with FSA.

SIMPLON – experts in aerodynamics

With the Pride II, SIMPLON is clearly setting new standards in aerodynamics. This success is only possible thanks to collaborations with specialists like Swiss Side – and also because of our many years of experience. Whether it’s in the classic road bike or triathlon sector: SIMPLON has the right bike for every type of rider. In our article "SIMPLON's 4 road bike categories explained", you can get some initial insights into which bike might be the right choice for you.

You want to customize your dream bike from SIMPLON to suit your personal preferences? Then use our bike configurator now!

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