4 ms·
If we take distance passed as a measurement, intuition tells me that bicycle is more efficient, since it doesn't have to lift the whole body, just move it aroun
by bheadmaster 4y ago
If we take distance passed as a measurement, intuition tells me that bicycle is more efficient, since it doesn't have to lift the whole body, just move it around on wheels which provide very small friction.
Perhaps if we had bicycles with comfortable seats we can recline in, we could save up energy needed to balance our body on a bicycle. Something like a pedal boat, but with wheels.
- AlbertCory 4y agoWouldn't that be a simple mod to a recumbent bike?
- bheadmaster 4y agoHonestly, this is the first time I've heard that word. Pretty expected that someone came up with it already, in retrospective.
- citrusybread 4y agocheck out velomobile, recumbent bicycles with a fiberglass shell that can go crazy fast (60km/h is not unheard of).
- tromp 4y agoAnd 144km/h is possible, but only for the world record holder: https://www.cbc.ca/sportslongform/entry/the-worlds-fastest-human-is-canadian https://www.cbc.ca/sportslongform/entry/the-worlds-fastest-h...
- vbarrielle 4y ago60km/h is sprint speed for elite cyclists on road bikes, I guess recumbent bikes can go way faster than that.
- lmm 4y agoI hit 90 km/h on my recumbent as a fat bloke loaded up for touring. It was on a downhill though :).
- Turskarama 4y agoAt high speed on flat ground aerodynamics matters significantly more than weight, so velomobiles tend to be a lot faster. Uphill is a different story.
- Schroedingersat 4y agoFaired can cruise at 60km/h on the flat at similar effort to 25km/h on a road bike. Marginally slower on steep uphill. Unfaired won't have you going much faster, maybe +5km/h on the flat and -3km/h on the uphill.
- AlbertCory 4y agoI see them on the street fairly often.
- simantel 4y agoRecumbent bikes definitely are more efficient due to aerodynamics if nothing else. I suspect being able to push back against the seat helps too, though.
- acomjean 4y agoI've seen a few of them in the city. The seem great, but I wonder how well they steer. They're low to the ground and seem less visible (I've seen them with flags). On a bike your center of gravity isn't much higher than walking, and you can put your feet out quickly and essentially be in a standing position .
- shagie 4y agoThey steer well enough for bike trails. Longer (e.g. tandem) ones may have some challenges with tighter turns (need to do a 90° adjustment at a light). Flags are common for recumbent for visibility. The lower center of gravity and the "it's real hard to fall off" can make it useful for people that have difficulty with balance. The back seat of a tandem is suitable for someone with needs for additional assistance ( https://www.terratrike.com/product-category/accessories/assisted-needs/ https://www.terratrike.com/product-category/accessories/assi... ) - my mother would go tandem with one of her friends who was legally blind and needed to use a walker.
- samstave 4y agoI bike A LOT -- >1,000 a month on a 29" full suspension e-bike (Orbea Rise) But I have been biking daily for morethan a decade, and was a daily bike commuter in the bay area for ~15 years.... I see many recumbent bike a day when on the trail. At least >5 a day. My house backs up to the American River trail, I literally leave my house and get directly onto the trail in less than 2 mintues. Recumbents are all over the ART in the Sacramento Area. One thing I have noticed though, and this is just a statistical observation on my part biking that trail regularly for ~2 years... The average Recumbentist is a White Male, Typically with a beard >50 years old, 30% are overweigth, 30% are average build, 30% look semi/more-fit, 10% are female. They look fun though. I'd love a long distance camping -e-bike version of one with a trailer and a detachable, light, curved windscreen that can be put on the top of the trailer when one wants.
- Schroedingersat 4y agoThe main losses are drag and, at low speeds, friction. A velomobile (enclosed bicycle or tricycle where you lie back) mostly solves the former. The effort of a light walk moves you at about 30km/h on the flat (but slightly slower than walking on a steep uphill). Steel rails would make it slightly more efficient again.