Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
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.
What cadence might I use for a recovery ride at 10 mph? Any; depends on the purpose of the recovery ride.
So you advance the inverted pendulum theory to support your claim that increasing the pedal force increases the stability of the bicycle? I point out to you that pendulum theory, inverted or normal, depends solely on two characteristics: the distance between the pivot and the center of mass, and the rotational inertia of the mass. Redistributing the forces that support the mass does nothing to change either of the two characteristics. Hence, your argument is false.
Talk about false, oversimplified, or speculative arguments? Consider your own.