Originally Posted by
TimothyH
This is not true because a lower gear will cause the duration to increase. It will simply take you longer.
Power is an instantaneous measurement. Work is measured over time.
At the risk of sounding condescending, what I'm talking about is basic physics. It is middle school curricula.
-Tim-
You got that mixed up.
Work = Force x Distance
Power = Work / time. Power is not an instantaneous measurement, and time is the missing variable in the weight lifting analogy.
Pushing a bike up a hill is work. Doing it faster (in less time) requires more power. The point I've been trying to make is that your body doesn't know the difference between bikes - just how hard you are working.
Originally Posted by
TimothyH
This is not true because a lower gear will cause the duration to increase. It will simply take you longer.
Correct
EDIT: It might be easier to think about this in terms of heart rate - another metric of aerobic expenditure that is directly proportional to power, with some drift of course. If you rode at ~180 bpm for 5 minutes, do you think it would make a difference to your cardiovascular system what bike you were on?