'Time for physics to make its mark on cycling'
07-27-16, 12:33 PM
#51
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A lot of this is materials science - whether that's "physics" I'll leave that for the engineers and physicists to argue about. To me, the basic design of the typical road or utility bike has changed very little, but materials of the frame and wheels and materials and design of components (brakes and shifting especially) have changed a huge amount.
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07-27-16, 07:49 PM
#52
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07-27-16, 08:27 PM
#53
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I am pretty sure the gyroscope effect just doesn't explain enough. I think there may be an elliptical effect.... that could explain why bicycles want to remain upright. It could be... the force of gravity that causes the elliptical effect with planets (and space junk). Over great distances.... gravitational poles become obvious (the planets line up)... but not so much here on Earth. Yet the force must be present here.
07-28-16, 12:27 AM
#54
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Depends, I don't find it much different riding my 22-26 lb bikes. After doing a century ride on my touring bike loaded with about 20-30 lbs of extra gear I realized how insignificant weight was for an average ride. Heck for any ride unless you're in contention of winning some big race. It does make it easier to pick up your bike to carry or mount on a rack though...
07-28-16, 05:21 AM
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I am pretty sure the gyroscope effect just doesn't explain enough. I think there may be an elliptical effect.... that could explain why bicycles want to remain upright. It could be... the force of gravity that causes the elliptical effect with planets (and space junk). Over great distances.... gravitational poles become obvious (the planets line up)... but not so much here on Earth. Yet the force must be present here.
07-28-16, 08:17 AM
#56
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We know why a bicycle stays upright, it's because the rider keeps their center of gravity over the center of contact of the wheels -- on average. Not like that's easy to model. There are still people modeling pilots in planes, it's not like you can easily model a person. I don't think a mathematician is going to figure out why we like bikes that are designed the way they are.
gyroscope forces are minimal under that scenario. You can stay upright easily at very low speeds because it's still easy to steer the bike under your center of gravity. Track standing is reasonably stable, but in that case the rider moves their own weight over the center of contact of the wheels.
The world hour record for an upright bike is faster than the world hour record for a 'bent, and that's on a course that is ideal for a 'bent.
Remember that a person can ride a bike on a treadmill and never pedal..... or fall down. No matter what they try to say in that article, it's the gyroscope effect that keeps you upright and off the pavement (at a certain speed around 3-4 mph) and low speed is due to forces stronger moving forward than sideways (falling)
The world hour record for an upright bike is faster than the world hour record for a 'bent, and that's on a course that is ideal for a 'bent.
Last edited by unterhausen; 07-28-16 at 08:26 AM.
07-28-16, 12:37 PM
#57
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The unfaired recumbent record was set byMatthias Kӧnig (who was not a TdF champion or even a pro cyclist,) 56.185km, set 6/27/2016. So it looks like bents ridden by amateurs can be faster than pros on uprights. I wonder what Matthias would do riding head-to-head against a fellow office-worker instead of a pro whose full-time job is to ride fast?
07-28-16, 12:52 PM
#58
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From what I can see, the world record for an upright was set by Bradly Wiggins, 54.526km, set 7/6/2015
The unfaired recumbent record was set byMatthias Kӧnig (who was not a TdF champion or even a pro cyclist,) 56.185km, set 6/27/2016. So it looks like bents ridden by amateurs can be faster than pros on uprights. I wonder what Matthias would do riding head-to-head against a fellow office-worker instead of a pro whose full-time job is to ride fast?
The unfaired recumbent record was set byMatthias Kӧnig (who was not a TdF champion or even a pro cyclist,) 56.185km, set 6/27/2016. So it looks like bents ridden by amateurs can be faster than pros on uprights. I wonder what Matthias would do riding head-to-head against a fellow office-worker instead of a pro whose full-time job is to ride fast?
Regardless of how fast a recumbent can go in a velodrome, if this is the position I need to be in to achieve that speed it is of little relevance to me:
As to amateurs vs. pros: Pros need to pass drug tests
07-28-16, 01:10 PM
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This just looks wrong to me and I am picturing a "lay down, head first" rider position on a bike with a much shorter chain due to your feet being behind you. I would think that laying down might allow you to generate more force as you push off the bars and help your legs turn the pedals. That would sort of make your legs work in a "stair stepper" position and I wonder if anyone ever tried that?
07-28-16, 07:21 PM
#60
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This just looks wrong to me and I am picturing a "lay down, head first" rider position on a bike with a much shorter chain due to your feet being behind you. I would think that laying down might allow you to generate more force as you push off the bars and help your legs turn the pedals. That would sort of make your legs work in a "stair stepper" position and I wonder if anyone ever tried that?
07-28-16, 07:24 PM
#61
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