Originally Posted by
dookie
have you tried different arm lengths on an otherwise identical bicycle? if not, your post is absurd. i assure you, the differences described by mr. cox are plenty apparent.
Your argument is absolutely watertight. I mean, there's no way it could seem easier unless it actually was easier, right? Excuse me for trying to understand it.
Originally Posted by
schnee
That's assuming people are biomechanically set up to produce proportional torque at different leg extensions in relation to the circle described by the arc of the crank. We're not. Once you take the whole system into account, it's far more complex than just a single torque number on one pivot.
Sheldon Brown's site seemed to indicate that more work is required when the legs are closer to the center of rotation (in his section on saddle height), which runs counter to the argument. Again, correct me if I'm wrong. Is it really possible that at 5mm difference you're going to be using a different set of muscles or somehow using the same muscles differently?