Muse back!
March 22, 2007 / Thursday
My Office Looks Better With A Bike In It
Pedaled into today without any major knee discomfort. Dunno what the minor ache on the inside of my right knee is (why does the pain keep moving around?), but I'm not limping so hooray.
I took it easy on my ride in, but still came close to my mountain bike commute time and speed record. Hello, mechanical advantage!*
I can't believe it's been over 6 months since I last pedaled into work. Welcome back, DST!
* I'm told that "mechanical advantage" isn't the proper term for what I'm trying to say, but the person who told me that will only tell me that it's wrong and won't offer any alternatives. :( I suspect the "more speed for less effort" phenomenon is due to some combination of weight, friction, and gearing, so until someone who does know the proper term for what I'm trying to say pipes up, I'm going to rephrase "Hello, mechanical advantage!" to "Thank you, physics!"
March 22, 2007 10:31 AM | Injuries:Road
Comments
I would say "efficiency" would be the word for the difference between styles of bike (lighter frame, less tire generated friction, more street oriented riding position). Mechanical advantage would seem to be more like trying to pry off a bottle top with bare hands versus using a bottle opener (a type of lever). My two cents anyway.
Posted by: Mike at March 22, 2007 06:53 PM
I agree... drag, friction and weight are the three things you road bike has over your mountain bike. The only other possibility is gearing and pedaling efficiency... when i used to ride my mountain bike to work (many moons ago)... when i went fast down hills, i didn't have a tall enough gear on the mountain bike, whereas road bikes tend to be geared higher. SO if you really are a supahviv, and are traveling at supahsonic speeds, you might have a gearing advantage too.
Posted by: Douglet at March 22, 2007 08:13 PM