What makes it possible on a downhill course is the F=mg of the vertical component of the direction of travel. You don't have that on flat ground. Adding ballast can't increase the terminal velocity. Any circular motion has constant accelleration, if you increase the mass, you need to increase the force to maintain the same angular velocity (linear accelleration toward the center of rotation)

I'm no teacher, but I'm pretty sure this works despite my terrible attempt to justify it.

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https://www.kickstarter.com/...bike-for-the-new-era

"I also have no other choice than to come to the conclusion that I value my time more than you apparently value yours and other peoples time (how much does it cost to get FISTED, anyway?)"

i'm sorry if i've offended you. i guess i don't know what i wrote that got you so riled up. you do a lot of your own testing, and that's fine. i think that's admirable. i think i'd like to perhaps do some of my own. i hope that's okay.

it costs $500 to get FISTed. for that you get all meals and housing for three days, and two days of instruction, and the use of any of 15 or 20 bikes in the premises for the group bike rides while you're here. and review updates by email from time to time. and a listing on our online database. and leather embossed patches, window stickers, a 60-page bound "owners manual" and a CD with a 70-page "users" manual that you may reprint for no addn charge as often as you want.

back to wind tunnels. yes, there are yaw angles. and this is one reason why the wind tunnel is necessary, imperitive. i don't believe i ever said anything derogatory about the wind tunnel. what i believe i wrote was that a field test would be a good way to add rigor what extrapolations are coming out of wind tunnel testing. my original posts -- 80 posts ago -- was in response to the extrapolations of wind tunnel data. yes, drag numbers mean nothing if they aren't turned into real world numbers, i.e., "2 lb. of drag at 24mph is 3:15 over 40km, all other things equal." or whatever (i made that up). so what do you do with that extrapolation, especially when it doesn't appear to pass the test of reasonableness? you field test. well, i field test.

if i publish a field test on slowtwitch and i have a problem in protocol, point it out here on the forum. instant peer review. you don't have to wait 60 days for the publication to come out. what could be better?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

the accelerations we are talking about are not the centripetal acceleration (I think that is the correct term, someone will surely correct me if I am wrong) of the circular motion of the pedal but the forward and aft accelerations of the bicycle from the varying forces from the pedal stroke.

I surmised that increasing the mass of the bike might mitigate these, decreasing the energy robbing effect of these accelerations. simply some brain storming on my part. Yet to be supported by any data. If not a rotorrooter is right, these losses will be too small to measure anyhow.

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

hey teen gang! hate to open this sore back up but bicycling magazine in the late 80's or early 90's(back when they where worth a damn) did a test with aerobars using a velodrom and a power meter. it seemed to work very well.

field testing is the best way to do it. case in point any of you current or ex military studs or studets ever pack and repack you back pack before march. you thought you had it perfect but at the 4 kilo mark everything sucked? so you shifted everything around that night and the next day it was as close to perfect as possible?

wind tunnels are super cool and a sexy way to spend the day, but how do they really match real life cycling? has anyone had an entire race where the wind was steady and from the same direction the whole way? do people rock the bike side to side in the wind tunnel? so so many diffrent things in a real ride that aren't done in the tunnel.

my humble advice? get FISTed (i did it once. i was drunk and in my "expirmental" phase) put your as on a power meter and adjust for maxuim comfort and power. you can't control the wind.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.