Old 04-01-14, 02:33 PM
  #72  
achoo
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Originally Posted by Bat Guano
Sure, but how many people on this board have a 'real descent' on their commute to work, do you think? I have a few hills, nothing very big, but a bit of effort going downhill on those translates into a noticeable difference in speed. But you're missing my point, which is that there's more to life than maximizing efficiency.
Lots of people probably have 10% descents that are 1/4 to 1/2 mile long. At least.

And how do you know you're going faster when you pedal down a 10% grade compared to when you get into an aero tuck? Do you actually measure your speed?

Anything over 10% or so, you WILL go faster even in a half-ass aero tuck than hammering away.

Because a 150-lb rider descending a 10% grade is getting about 1500W of power from gravity. And the more aero you get, the faster you go. And the faster you go, the more power you get from gravity.

Why do you think pro racers get into those aero tucks to descend? Do you really think you're stronger than they are? Just like almost all of us here, you're heavier and weaker. Pro riders have less to gain from a tuck because they're lighter, and more to gain from pedaling because they're stronger. Yet pros tuck and coast.

You can say you're faster pedaling downhill all you want. Go ahead.

But if your goal really is to go fast, learn something.
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