On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:40:58 -0400, clare at snyder dot ontario dot
canada wrote:
>On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 22:35:37 GMT, [email protected] (Jose) wrote:
>
>>On 12 Jun 2008 17:02:14 GMT, [email protected] wrote:
>>
>>>These losses are not affected by road gradient, but only by speed.
>>>That is, the faster the speed the greater the power required to
>>>overcome RR.
>>
>>Seems logical - after reading your explanation.
>>
>>
>>> Meanwhile, extra weight on a bicycle has almost no
>>>effect on flat terrain and requires a bit more power when climbing.
>>
>>I'm sure I'm follwing you... I've always that a heavier object would
>>take more energy/efford to be kept going. Such as in heavier vs
>>lighter cars...
>>
>>
>>>I don't think the two effects are trade-offs.
>>
>>I'll agree, if I can understand how the heavier object doesn't require
>>more power to be kept going.
>>
>>Thanks,
>>Jose
> The heavier object only requires more power to keep going because it
>causes more flexing in the tires and suspension. Increase the tire
>pressures to compensate for the extra load and the rolling resistance
>does not increase (up to a limit) Smooth roads do not affext the
>suspension losses - which CAN be corrected for to some extent by
>tuning the suspension.
>** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **
Dear Jose & Clare,
For a typical bicycle on level ground, adding a kilogram results in
such a tiny increase in rolling resistance (the tires flex a hair or
two more) that only a theoretical calculator can see the difference.
Here's a side-by-side calculator:
http://bikecalculator.com/veloMetricNum.html
If you raise the bike weight from 9 to 10 kg, the increased rolling
resistance lowers the speed from 24.75 km/h to 24.71 km/h, a rather
theoretical 0.04 km/h drop, about 0.16%
Here's another calculator, with fewer digits:
http://www.kreuzotter.de/english/espeed.htm
Choose on-the-drops, and the result is 19.4 mph for the defaults with
a 20.9 pound bicycle. The predicted cruising speed won't drop to 19.3
mph until your raise the bike weight to 26.7 pounds, adding 5.8
pounds.
Even hauling such extra weight uphill doesn't make that much
difference. Go back to this comparison calculator:
http://bikecalculator.com/veloMetricNum.html
Here are the predicted km/h speeds up a 6% grade for several power
levels:
bike watts watts watts
weight 100 200 300
9 kg 6.70 12.90 18.38 (0.08 to 0.17 km/h faster)
10 kg 6.62 12.76 18.21
And some of that difference is offset by the slightly greater speed of
the slightly heavier bike back down the 6% grade:
bike watts
weight 0
9 kg 51.20
10 kg 51.52 (0.32 km/h faster)
Such tiny speed differences from weight are rarely as important as
wind drag and rider comfort, but weight is much easier to measure and
boast about.
Cheers,
Carl Fogel