Originally Posted by
bud16415
If you are riding down a hill on a single speed bike and anticipation of an upcoming climb and your rate of speed coasting is such you can't spin fast enough to increase said speed you will reach the low point of the hill at some terminal speed and with some amount of kinetic energy stored in the combined mass of your body and bike and the speed you are moving. That energy will allow you to coast up the new hill "X" distance. (Stored energy) If you now have a bike with changeable gearing that allow you a taller gear that allows you to add additional speed reaching the bottom of the hill you will have additional kinetic energy stored and travel a distance "X Plus".
No, no, no. Do you not see where your logic fails? In your scenario, you have a single-speed cyclist
coasting down a hill and a geared cyclist
exerting energy down a hill - no **** they're going to end up in a different place going up the next hill! One is adding energy, one is not!
Originally Posted by
bud16415
If your bearings and clothing allows your speed to improve they will also add to your storage of Kinetic energy.
Dude, look - at the top of a hill, you have potential energy. Same mass, same hill, same potential energy. Slippery bearings and clothing DO NOT CHANGE THIS, they simply minimize losses. Likewise, attaining a certain height on the next hill will require a specific amount of energy, whether you put that energy in on the downhill or whether you put it in on the uphill is your friggen choice.
Originally Posted by
bud16415
If the hill is long and fast and there is a stop sign at the bottom and it now requires braking that stored energy has to be somehow removed and it is removed thru heat of friction brake pads and tires and if you assume a upright posture heat of friction wind against your body. Wasting that energy will have to at some point will have to be paid back assuming your final destination is the same elevation as your starting destination.
Yes, braking is dissipating energy. Of course. Yes, this COULD be recaptured, as is done with hybrid cars, but this is far, far different than gearing and hills.
Originally Posted by
bud16415
So it all comes down to that stop sign. if it isn't there it isn't cheating to coast part way up the hill. if it is there and you save the energy long enough to stop at the bottom it is cheating.
A stop sign at the bottom of a hill is a horrible analogy and it's neither here nor there.