jon@sdcrdcf.UUCP (Jonathan Gingerich) (06/28/85)
a Mr. Hildenbrand it seems to me that the only one talking through his hat is yourself. If you read Mr. Klink's original message, you will see that the question is whether any wheel with a heavy rim will go faster than one with a light rim, not whether a heavy aerodynamic wheel will go faster than light conventional one. I believe the answer is surprisingly yes. A rim does take twice as much energy to accelerate as a fixed part of the bike because you are not only accelerating it forward, but torquing it as well. The key is acceleration. Your speed is limited by your total energy output versus wind and rolling resistance. Wind resistance is a function of shape and velocity, not acceleration, so with the same amount of energy (and shape and rolling resistance) a heavier cyclist will reach the same top speed as a lighter one. Of course, cyclists do not apply a constant level of energy, but peaks with each stroke of the pedal. Here is where having a heavy wheel is an advantage. It will not accelerate with each stroke as fast as a light wheel, but it will not deaccelerate as much either. It turns out that you will go faster if your acceleration is steadier. At some point, the distance you lose while accelerating up to speed is made up for by less losses at top speed. Anyway, the point is not that one should put heavy wheels on one's bike, but that most of us, who do not engage in the constant sprinting of the road racer, are not THAT slowed down by less than the lightest wheels, and other considerations, i.e. price, durability, comfort, should be given due emphasis. Beyond that, riding alot, concentrating on smooth cadence, and maybe buying a track bike and heavy rollers might help. :-) P.S. I do not follow the sport very closely, but Mr. Moser certainly seemed impressive in the Paris-Roubaix this year.