4 ms·
In the same sense that we didn't evolve to ride around in cars, sit at desks, wear glasses, or a million other things that we do.
by Finnucane 5y ago
In the same sense that we didn't evolve to ride around in cars, sit at desks, wear glasses, or a million other things that we do.
- sombremesa 5y agoBetter title might be “the average bicycle isn’t designed to maximally leverage human anatomy.” To which the answer is: so what? The market doesn’t care about efficiency that much, else clip-in pedals wouldn’t be optional.
- sam_lowry_ 5y agoClip-in pedals are optional because dangerous they are. My only serious accident on a bike was when I weared SPD pedals. Unlike a helmet, clip-in pedals trade security for efficiency.
- Thlom 5y agoThey’re not even that efficient.
- exeldapp 5y agoI’m curious why you say that. I put clip ins on my bike and it made a world of a difference being able to pull and push while pedaling. Are there better options?
- selectodude 5y agoThere’s no better option, it just didn’t make as much of a difference as you think it did. They add about 10 percent more power but more at the high end. If you’re pushing 500-600 watts that’s where the difference is clear.
- mariusor 5y agoI think the difference is worth it for amateur riders also, stability on the pedals and being able to both push and pull on your stroke should give you at least 15-20% more power. It might not benefit you in your 5Km commute to work, but it will in that 50Km weekend ride.
- deleted 5y ago[deleted]
- stevenpetryk 5y agoI don't really see it as a matter of efficiency. It's more that I never have to really think about where my feet are on the pedals. They're just always in the right spot and no extra work has to go into keeping them there.
- mrfusion 5y agoHas anyone considered using a mag-safe like design so they would break away safely under extreme forces? Skis do this.
- InitialLastName 5y agoLots of styles of clip do release if the force is too great or if there is any force outside of the normal (no pun intended) vector.
- Grustaf 5y agoMechanical efficiency is not that important when most people only ride a few miles a day, at a slow pace, dictated by traffic conditions. If you take a broader view and consider vantage point, ease of mounting, mechanical efficiency, aesthetics, convenience, weight etc, bikes are pretty damn optimal.
- barefeg 5y agoHumans didn’t evolve to be humans
- ilamont 5y agoA vegan roommate used to get really worked up about drinking cow's milk, pointing out that humans were not evolved to do so in nature. He would say, "Can you imagine crawling under a cow to drink milk directly from the udder?" The idea seemed to frustrate him more than the concept of humans eating meat or wearing leather shoes.
- Finnucane 5y agoDid you say, we evolved to do that after we started domesticating cows?
- throwawaycities 5y agoOver 50% of people are lactose intolerant, and assuming the current timeline for agriculture is correct evolution doesn’t work that fast.
- imtringued 5y agoI'm not going to pretend to be an expert but lactose intolerance depends on gut microbes which doesn't require evolution to change. You can alleviate symptoms of lactose intolerance with probiotics/kefir.
- throwawaycities 5y ago> lactose intolerance depends on gut microbes which doesn't require evolution to change. I was responding to a comment that expressly said we evolved to consume milk after domesticating cows.
- twobitshifter 5y agoFrom what I’ve read the evolution of adult lactase was almost instant. Humans naturally produce lactase as babies, but what had to happen was to extend that production into adulthood. This is really a straightforward mutation then, what had changed was the non silencing of the gene that is already active at birth.