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I have never ridden one either but weight on the pedals shouldn't matter. If you push down on a pedal as you extend your leg leaving your body at a constant hei
by BenFrantzDale 10y ago
I have never ridden one either but weight on the pedals shouldn't matter. If you push down on a pedal as you extend your leg leaving your body at a constant height, that should be the same work as pushing just as hard over just as far against a seat. I'm sure there are subtleties – you can push more than your weight against a seat but a seat absorbs energy – but to first order it should be a wash.
- davidw 10y agoI'm skeptical. When you're up out of the pedals and sprinting on a bike, you are transmitting an awful lot of energy. I don't quite see being able to push quite so hard when sat down.
- BenFrantzDale 10y agoOne way of thinking about it is that work is force times distance, so if you aren't moving WRT the bike, and push just as far work goes by force. Assuming you don't have toe clips and so aren't pulling up with one foot while you push down with the other, then at most you can push down with your body weight. (You could push harder but that would leave your body accelerating up at the end of the stroke.)
- davidw 10y agoYou're thinking about it from a physics point of view, which is kind of abstract, and possibly not considering all the movement involved. I'm thinking about it from the point of sprinting for the finish line at a race last Sunday. I really don't think I could have brought the same force to bear while sitting down. Also: modern bikes have clipless pedals, not toe clips.
- eru 10y agoMaximum force doesn't matter too much. Change gears, and you can always trade force for distance to get the same energy.