Thread: Cycling speed
View Single Post
Old 08-15-11, 08:40 PM
  #3  
wphamilton
Senior Member
 
wphamilton's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280

Bikes: Nashbar Road

Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times in 228 Posts
Originally Posted by Easy Peasy
Does the person with a larger wheel diameter go faster?
Slower - the taller tire presents more surface to apparent wind.

Originally Posted by Easy Peasy
Does the person with longer leg length cover go faster?
Slower, same reason.

But neither enough to explain "slow". To go faster we have to spin the pedals faster. Seriously: no gearing, no leverage, no relative proportions will make someone faster. It's a matter of power applied to the pedals.
wphamilton is offline