Stromm's aero treatment lives entirely on the sidewall — vortex generators and trip strips bolted onto tread that was finalized first. That sequencing is the point: Chief Aerodynamicist Ben Rothacker ran 4,500 CFD iterations but wouldn't let drag numbers touch grip. "Whatever I can do aerodynamically is secondary to making a good solid tire… if you can't make it around a corner, it doesn't matter if you're saving another half a watt," he said. Velodrome testing with the Chung Method put the gain at 5.8W to 13.8W depending on speed — figures pulled from the same validation process used on Stromm's road bike, not a marketing wind tunnel.