If you live on Timber Branch, you know the bicyclist.  Round and round (it’s a 1 mile circle, believe it or not).  It’s good for you- keeps you fit  (but as my blog says, my body may not show it.)  Some of the folks I know even ride their bikes to work (don’t poo-poo it, until you’ve traveled the DC roads- drivers seem to get their licenses from a Cracker Jack’s box).

A few of my friends have even spent small (or large?) fortunes buying the lightest, most high tech bikes one has ever seen.  But, the question is- does it get one there faster?  We’ve all wondered about it, but like one of my favorite eMail signatures… “Many people watched the apple drop, only Newton asked why….”

Enter Dr. Jeremy Groves, an anesthetist at Chesterfield Royal Hospital (halfway between Nottingham and Leeds, about 100 km from London).  He was curious whether his expensive ($1600) carbon-frame bike would get him “there” quicker than his used steel-frame bike.  And, like all good scientists, he developed a small study.  For six months, he tossed a coin to determine which means he would employ- and timed the journey.

As he reported in the British Medical Journal, his expensive bike provided no advantage during his 27 mile journey (of varying elevation).  (One should note he did not study the energy expended on either of the two bikes; just the overall time for completion.) The first finding (not discussed in the article) seems to be that winter riding is slower than that performed in the spring.   And, surprisingly, the lighter bike journey was actually 1 minute longer (108 minutes to complete the 27 miles).  What  we actually forget is that the change in the weight of the bicycle is actually only a minor change overall; the rider comprises 95% of the total burden of the bike-rider combination.

Moreover, as one who has ridden on the bike “trails” along the George Washington Parkway (the main course is pot-hole laden, with asphalt cracking for the dessert), one has to keep in mind that the fatter tires (less vulnerable to puncture) and better brakes may prove an extra advantage.

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