Originally Posted by DannoXYZ
"Although the larger wheel travels farther on one revolution, the energy required to turn that larger wheel one revolution is greater. "
No, the energy (power) required will be exactly the same if the speed is the same. Part of your confusion is understanding that force is not the same as power. From basic physics:
DannoXYZ, while your strict analysis of what he wrote is correct, "we get what he means". He just did not use the technically correct language. Remember, in our scenario the drivetrain of the two bikes are the same, they are in the same "gear" on their shifters, the only difference is wheel size. He clearly gets that the two bikes will require the same amount of energy to move a given distance. And he clearly gets that the bike with lower gearing (the smaller wheel) will require a greater cadence to stay at the same speed as the bike with the higher gearing (the big wheel).
He gets it! And that's great! Let's not beat up the guy about the technical correctness of his language. Although, it might be good for Blue Order to understand the correct way to express the concept that he most clearly understands...