Originally Posted by
KiddSisko
Please. Under no circumstance will there ever be zero wasted watts. There are so many factors that add up to wasted energy. Body position (fit) and pedal stroke being two. A serious road cyclist can take years to develop an efficient pedal stroke. A "top carbon fiber" bike isn't going to magically cure the shoulder heaving Fred out there pedaling squares.
Every single joint in your leg, connection to you bike (shoes, pedals, hands, seat), and many parts of the bike (chain, cranks, pedals and pedal axles, bearings, wheel stiffness, frame stiffness, frame geometry, chainrings, cassettes, hubs and associated mechanisms, you name it) can each represent potentially wasted wattage.