The wait is over, after 5 years of development Scope launches its Time Trial (TT) and Triathlon platform with the all new AEA – Disc and R9.T wheels, a new benchmark in aerodynamics, developed in partnership with the Scope development partners.

Based on knowledge from the World Tour peloton, we developed the fastest wheelset for real world conditions, using an integrated approach by taking into account the complete system including wheels, tires, bike, and rider. The intense partnership and development process resulted in a wheelset bringing up to 8% reduction in drag and 3.5-watt reduction in rolling resistance. Applied to a Grand Tour time trial of 30 km this results in a half a minute time win. For a full triathlon (180km) this will add up to a saving of almost three minutes.

After numerous test kilometres, we are excited for the debut of the AEA – Disc and R9.T in the World Tour peloton at the final Prologue in Copenhagen in this year’s Tour de France.

As a baseline for the development of the Scope Time Trial and Triathlon platform we made use of the “TT Real World Data”. The data of this research was conducted over the 25 most valuable time trials by a World Tour Team at the Grand Tours and World Tour races in the period between 2017 and 2020. Derived from the study, the following conclusions have been our main development parameters.

• The importance of aerodynamics in relation to rolling resistance.
• The most common wind speed.
• The Distribution of the incoming wind angles.

As a next step, together with our development partner Schwalbe we investigated the effect of wider tubeless tires versus aerodynamics. It was concluded that a 28 mm tubeless tire provided a significant reduction in rolling resistance compared to a 25 mm tire and allowed it to ride at a lower tire pressure providing additional comfort and grip.

However, since the aerodynamic penalty increases exponentially when the speed increases, and at the same time, the front wheel encounters non-disturbed wind flows whereas the rear wheel is already disturbed by front wheel, bike and rider, our studies concluded that for the front wheel a 25 mm, and for the rear wheel a 28 mm tubeless tire provides the optimum set up.

Once the optimum tire width has been defined we started with the development of the rim profile making use of the Scope Algorithm Enhanced Aerodynamics (AEA). Instead of approaching the optimum rim-profile by making use of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) analysis, our algorithm exactly calculates the optimum rim-profile making use of the pre-set real world data settings, guaranteeing the best aerodynamic performance.

The first prototypes have been tested in the windtunnel to verify the design and further study the interaction of the wheels with tires, bike, and rider. Furthermore a benchmark study has been performed of which can be concluded that the AEA – Disc provides up to 8% of reduction in drag, and the R9.T up to 4% reduction in drag. This makes the AEA – Disc in combination with the R9.T the fastest TT / Triathlon wheelset available.

Based on UCI World Tour riders input, besides the optimization in aerodynamics and rolling resistance, as well we have been focusing on overall efficiency of the wheels, and preventing them from being too harsh and unforgiving like most current TT wheels.

To guarantee the perfect balance between these variables, it was concluded that a cover approach should be the way to go instead of the conventional monocoque structure. For that reason, the Scope R4 rear wheel is used as a baseline for the new AEA – Disc, featuring the Scope Diamond ratchet hub-set with Ceramicspeed bearings, Scope tubeless system, and Local reinforcement carbon lay-up, providing the perfect balance between weight, lateral stiffness and durability.

In partnership with DSM engineering materials different suitable cover materials and application methods have been studied, with the goal to reduce weight, while optimising stability and shock absorption.

With DSM’s wide range of material knowledge and application we have found a partner who has been of great support in the development of the Scope AEA – Disc. We look forward to continuing our partnership enabling us to keep challenging ourselves and stay up to date with the newest materials and technologies for our future products.

Scope development partners

Development never stops. Even though we do have some further ideas to improve the performance of the AEA – Disc and R9.T we have decided to launch the MK1 as per direct. By making it available for the professional and competitive cyclist we follow our mission to improve the riding experience and contribute to the ongoing battle for marginal gains.

For the time being all Scope AEA – Disc and R9.T wheels are hand-built by our engineers in the Scope Cycling Research Lab in The Netherlands. For that reason, availability is limited. In parallel, our engineers will continue their ambitions to further improve the set-up and make it available in serial production by 2023.

The AEA – Disc is available as per direct for a price of 2.198,- EUR, and the R9.T for 998,- EUR. To place your order, get in touch with our sales team via mail: [email protected] or via phone: 0031 (0) 402986604.