General Cycling Theory
 

so i am getting started in cycling and dont really have anyone to bounce ideas off of yet...

OK so here are a couple of questions:

If your body only has so much energy for exertion available and an increase in speed is an exponential increase in wind drag then wouldnt it be most efficient to exert the most energy in climbs because you are going slower hence a more efficient use of energy available? so its better to hit hills harder and downhill not so hard in the general sense?

I dont really understand power vs position - if you are on the bars then more power is available then in the drops? So if you have a strong wind on your back like your doing 20mph and cant feel much wind resistance... then you should be on the bars to increase power and maximize the wind hitting you in the back?

Your thinking to much. Just go enjoy the ride.

Correct.

Glad I was sitting down. coming from you.

If you have a tail wind you aren't going fast enough.

Huh? I like pie

General Cycling Theory: Pedal harder to go faster

Your energy level is not like a fuel tank that will run out of fuel UNLESS you are not eating or drinking a sportsdrink during your ride. You should be consuming calories on any ride over about an hour or so. That will keep your "energy" levels up no matter how long you ride for.

There's a theory to cycling?

Srsly, if you want to figure this stuff out, you probably need to be more specific about what your goals are. Just what are you trying to achieve?

Faster time over a certain route?

Better climbing?

More comfort over longer distances?

Hanging with the animals on the Nyack ride?

What?

One of my favorite things about cycling is not having to think much at all. After a while its all instinct and feel. Don't take that away!

Don't get carried away. You misspelled 'you're'.

A tailwind is a wind that blows in the direction of travel of an object. So by definition you're an idiot.

You have failed to calculate in the fact that you are lifting your body weight while climbing which you don't have to do while on the flat. So you have to figure in gravities pull on you when climbing. At slower bicycle speeds this is more significant than wind drag until you start to go over about 25-35 miles an hour or so. But it actually depends on the climb.

Here's an analogy. How many standing squats can you do? 20-30-40. How many walking repetitions on flat ground can you do?. Thousands. So you have this going on in addition to wind drag.

When calling someone an idiot, no less.

I want to go faster.

heart > science

Jeez, that's easy. EPO

I don't get the question... :rolleyes:

Explain.

what he means is that if you have a tailwind, you're not goin fast enough to change the apparent wind to a head wind - pedal faster/harder
all wind is apparent
you might wanna check on your def of idiot...

go faster than what? when? for how long?

a lot of learnin happens when you ride da bike

I suspect at his stage of cycling it's not the learning that needs to be improved on. Just sit down, and pedal.

These are good classic engineering questions, way beyond the abilities of the majority of respondents.

People generally over thinking the "power vs position" relationship need to ride more, ride harder, lose weight and stop over thinking something so simple...It is not rocket science when you're new it is simply riding.
Learn to ride efficiently.
In my experience gravity trumps wind drag.

So true. The same thing applies to other novice questions like cornering, descending, or climbing. One doesn't need a text book; one needs practice and familiarity with their machine in the form of road miles and saddle time under all conditions.

Journalist: "So what kind of a training regimen would you recommend Eddy?"

Eddy Merckx: "Ride lots."