Originally Posted by John Forester
More inaccurate information. "Look at the cyclists in Europe or Asia. They are not cranking at more than 60 rpm; and they bike all day." I suggest that any cyclist whose trips take all day and who is free to travel at his desired speed is very likely to end up using a higher cadence than 60 rpm. The observation applies to people making short trips and probably in traffic conditions that limit them to low speed.
The claim that pedal force stabilizes the bicycle is previously unknown to me. It also does not agree with my experience, which includes considerable racing and fixed-gear experience. I suggest that it is one more invention to try to oppose vehicular cycling.
One question. If you are tooling along at 10 mph, perhaps a recovery ride or something, are you
really motoring along at 80-100 rpm? My guess is not.
As for the pedal force; think it through. You are supporting more of your weight at a lower point on the bike frame. If you are spinning fast with little force on the pedals, you are supporting most of your weight on the saddle, which is further away from the pivot point of the inverted pendulum. This is why it is easier (if you a smooth pedaler) to ride no handed if you are pedaling rather than just coasting.
And why would I invent arguments to oppose vehicular cycling? I ride vehicularly! I oppose
your arguments for vehicular cycling, mostly because I think it turns people off from it and most of the common arguments are false, oversimplified, or speculative.
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Cat 2 Track, Cat 3 Road.
"If you’re new enough [to racing] that you would ask such question, then i would hazard a guess that if you just made up a workout that sounded hard to do, and did it, you’d probably get faster." --
the tiniest sprinter