In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Your post is what theory looks like when people forget the difference. Your theory leav

In theory, theory and practice are the same. In practice, they are not. Your post is what theory looks like when people forget the difference. Your theory leaves out tons of variables, including the condition of the road, and the differences in how materials deform under pressure. I've seen the stats you're referring to, and that's what it looks like in a lab with perfect conditions. Go ride a $400 bike and a nice carbon fiber bike. The difference is much more substantial than 15 seconds per 4 hours. It's less fatiguing, the pedals feel stiffer (cheap bikes feel mushy in the pedals), my speedometer has a higher average speed, it's easier to climb hills (flat surfaces like in the lab are rare on real world streets--flat roads are almost never 0% grade), etc. Sometimes you need to put down excel and actually do the thing you're theorizing about.