Kestrel aims to better Cervélo's P3
Footon-Servetto rider Mathias Braendle was spotted on a brand-new Fuji machine for the opening prologue of this year's Giro d'Italia – only it wasn't a Fuji at all. As it turns out, Braendle was testing a model for Fuji's sister outfit, Kestrel, who acknowledged that it was the latest update of the company's 4000 aero platform.
According to Kestrel brand manager Steven Harad begin_of_the_skype_highlighting end_of_the_skype_highlighting, the 4000 was fully developed – not just tested – in the wind tunnel with the lofty goal of surpassing the aerodynamic performance of Cervélo's P3. And Harad claims the company has well met that goal with the 4000 testing a substantial "20 percent faster".
The most striking feature on the frame is undoubtedly the radically shaped seat tube, which just barely shadows the curve of the rear wheel on the lower half before taking an abrupt bend forward towards the top tube on the teardrop-shaped upper half. In addition, the head tube sports a necked-down center section to reduce frontal area and the non-driveside chain stay is fluted to reportedly direct airflow out and away from the bike. The driveside stay uses a conventional rectangular profile, though, since the fluting was found to be ineffective on account of the chainrings. Read more