VELO MACH | STELVIO | TT

Oakley doesn’t just develop products, it engineers solutions. Pushing the limits of what is possible, every product is engineered to solve a problem and disrupt the category. The Oakley Bike Collection, including the aerodynamic Velo line, is no different. The following details the creation of the Velo line in partnership with Tudor Pro Cycling, including a deep dive on the collaboration, testing methods and performance data. ​ 

Cycling is a sport that requires power – the power to push through the elements, and consistently break the boundaries of what cyclists think they are capable of. Every time they go for a ride, they are working to overcome aerodynamic drag, drive train inefficiencies, gravity, and rolling resistance. On all but the steepest of slopes at the lowest of speeds, the largest force to overcome is aerodynamics – and it isn’t just at the professional-level. Even at 15kph (9mph), aerodynamic drag is already consuming much of the power a cyclist outputs. At 45kph, the majority becomes anywhere from 80-90% of the resistant forces that must be overcome.

“When you're racing against the best in the world, every watt and millisecond counts, and Velo Mach and Velo Kato are setting a new benchmark in cycling.” Alberto Dainese, Tudor Pro Cycling 

TESTING 

The following image details how each innovation was evaluated for aerodynamic performance. ​ 

Performance, co-engineered. We had one goal in mind with the development of the Velo family: to create cycling helmets that weren’t just Oakley’s best, but some of the best on the market. Tudor Pro Cycling played a critical role in defining and achieving our goals – the program would not have been possible without them. 

Our collaboration allowed us to tap into insights from world-class cyclists to ensure the products we delivered pushed boundaries and met the demands at the pinnacle of the sport. Through multiple visits by Tudor Pro Cycling riders and staff to our Foothill Ranch HQ, our attendance at winter training camp, ​ and countless virtual meetings and wind tunnel testing to simulate the conditions a cyclist may experience in different scenarios, we crafted the Oakley Velo family to meet the needs of the highest caliber of athletes – refining fit, comfort and speed. We developed our wind tunnel manikins based on 3D scans of Tudor Pro Cycling riders, and worked with the team to develop and refine our aerodynamic testing protocols, establishing the yaw sweeps we used in testing, how to weight those data points to generate a yaw-weighted average, and even collaborating on CFD investigations of various helmet concepts and configurations. ​ 

"We set our ambitions sky high with Tudor Pro Cycling, and matched that with tenacity, creativity, and the best tools and testing methods—no shortcuts. The data Tudor Pro Cycling provided was invaluable, giving us a hands-on way to fine-tune our design.” Rachel Gitajn, Director of R&D, Oakley 

PERFORMANCE 

The following images detail the goals of each innovation – Velo Mach, Valo TT and Velo Stelvio – and how they performed when tested. ​ 

The data shown above was collected at the Walter H. Beech Wind Tunnel at Wichita State University as a part of two separate tests, with the majority coming from a test in February 2025 (2527), as well as a test in September 2024 (2511). All data presented on a graph or chart was collected during a single test trip as a part of test 2527. The selected data are the best runs for each helmet, benchmarks and Oakley, in the position and speed specified, from their respective trip. The plotted runs were selected as the best run for each helmet during each test case based upon the yaw weighted average drag for the run. 

Reviewing the preceding data, the yaw sweep plots are provided with CdA as the plotted drag measurement, while the charts comparing the yaw weighted drags are provided in watts, a commonly used unit for power. We chose to do this primarily because it helps to contextualize the drag differences between helmets tested. Discussing differences of 0.001m2 of drag area is challenging for most but talking to cyclists who often ride with power meters on their bikes about a difference of watts, and those differences become much easier to comprehend. Power numbers given are only to overcome aerodynamic drag and are intended only to provide a comparison between the presented helmets. Calculations for power were performed using the constant target speed value and not the in-tunnel speed value. With the constant Reynolds number methodology in the tunnel, using the actual speed could significantly alter the power value in a way that is not representative of the testing being performed. All power values listed are yaw weighted averages. 

Sprint and TT runs were performed with race suits on their respective manikins. Sprint and hoods testing was performed with Oakley Velo Kato in place on all tests. Manikins are partial in nature and do not include full leg structures. Testing performed with constant Reynolds. 

GLOSSARY: ​ 

Aerodynamic drag: The force required to overcome wind resistance. 

Frontal area: A cross-sectional area perpendicular to the flow being analyzed; critical to understanding and calculating drag force. 

CdA: Drag area, often given in m2. The product of drag coefficient, a dimensionless number used to 

calculate drag force, and the frontal area. The lower, the better in this (and most cycling) applications 

Yaw angle (ψ): Describes the perceived wind direction experienced by an object. 

Yaw sweep: The yaw angles investigated as a part of a wind tunnel or CFD study. 

Yaw weighted average: A single number that is used to represent overall aerodynamic performance. Because drag varies with yaw angle, it can be difficult to compare two products. By using statistically relevant values to describe how likely a particular yaw angle is to be experienced, the wind tunnel test data can be combined into a single value that greatly simplifies comparisons.