It has been an open secret for some time, but the CeramicSpeed OSPW Aero Jockey Wheelset has been officially announced.

We spotted the OSPW Aero on Israel Premier Tech's Giacomo Nizzolo's Factor Ostro VAM at the Giro d'Italia in May, and according to CeramicSpeed, it is also being used at the Ironman World Championships in a rage.

As we reported at the time, the CeramicSpeed OSPW Aero was developed in conjunction with Drag2Zero aerodynamicist Simon Smart.

According to CeramicSpeed, it took over two years of development to bring OSPW Aero to market. According to CeramicSpeed, the OSPW Aero system took over two years to develop and reduces aerodynamic drag around the derailleur by an average of 40% and up to 60% compared to standard derailleur cages at points where there is airflow.

According to the brand, this translates to a reduction of 2.5 seconds in a 25 km time trial run at 50 km/h and 1 minute 15 seconds on an Ironman bike run at 30 km/h. This may be a very small difference, but it is what CeramicSpeed does best.

The OSPW Aero was born out of wind tunnel and real-world testing. As the rider shifts gears, the derailleur cage moves relative to the bike frame, which changes its angle, or frontal area. In other words, as the position of the cage relative to the airflow changes, so does its aerodynamic performance.

Wind tunnel testing was performed on Canyon and Scott time trial bikes, as well as Factor, Specialized, and Scott aero road bikes. Disc rear wheels and 60mm deep spoke aero wheels were also used. According to CeramicSpeed, the variable airflow wake from the pedaling rider could not be effectively simulated.

According to CeramicSpeed, tests were also conducted in a wind tunnel and outdoors at different crosswind yaw angles. A more comprehensive description of the test protocol and analysis of the results can be found on the CeramicSpeed site (opens in new tab).

Smart says the development was complex." We knew we had a challenge on our hands, especially given that this is only about 1 percent of the total drag of the entire system, and the rear derailleur cage is located in the most complex part of the bike's flow, as well as the changes in position and angle. This is one of the most complex parts of the bike," he notes.

Smart tested alternative pulley setups, but says the mechanical efficiency of CeramicSpeed's original OSPW design was reduced, so the new OSPW Aero maintains the pulley layout of that system. Keeping weight down while maintaining rigidity for accurate gear changes was also a challenge, Smart says.

When we first discovered the new system, questions were raised as to whether the new OSPW Aero would be caught by the UCI's no-fairing rule, but the aero cage design is structural and integrated with the system. According to CeramicSpeed, they have discussed this design with the UCI and have received agreement that it does not conflict with regulations regarding fairings.

The derailleur cage itself is made of carbon fiber reinforced polyamide. Like the standard OSPW system, it has a 19-tooth lower pulley and a 13-tooth upper pulley (15-tooth on SRAM-compatible models), both made of aluminum. CeramicSpeed metallic-coated bearings are included, and CeramicSpeed offers a lifetime warranty.

The OSPW Aero has three options and is compatible with the Shimano 9250/8150 12-speed, Shimano 9100/8000 11-speed, and SRAM Red/Force eTap AXS groupset. Launch is June 21, 2022, and the price on the CeramicSpeed website is €739 for all options.