# great cyclin' insight



## bruno (Nov 19, 2006)

from a dude calls hisself scoutmaster jason--

Bikes are as close as we will get to building a perfect machine. Artificial heart, f** that piss poor replication. Fighter jet, good luck maintaining that on a single income budget. Ipod, suck it. Bikes are the pinnacle in mans technological development. There was the development of the knife and then a vast morass of technological dawdling until the bike came along. Even the wheel itself was just a seed waiting to germinate and become a bike. Everything pre was rudimentary and everything post is baroque. The bike is simple and pure in form and function, a perfect balance of man, machine and envionment putting physics to work in one of it's most elegant dances. Levers, musculature, pivots, bones, steel and muscle work together to make circles which becomes lines which become GO. They are also extremely democratic and egalitarian. 

i think this cat's a philosopher/poet.:-D :flag: :beer:


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## bruno (May 16, 2007)

just wanted to bump this one up here. i think it's great. the commuter thread got me goin' again. velo love! it's all about velo love!

happy everythiing to everybody!! you're all heroes for ridin' bikes bein' (for the most part!!:wink adults!!8):smile::flag::beer:

anybody else got any good quotes or thoughts 'bout all things cyclin', post 'em here.


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## cbcbd (May 16, 2007)

I am psyched about getting on my bike after work today!! Yesterday I thought I'd get to enjoy the day out and ride some trails... well, I found out later that I had to work at my part time job at night - bummer!!! well, I still got out and rode my road bike there (although I shouldn't because of my current back issues, but screw it).  OMG it was GORGEOUS riding my bike last night - the weather was perfect and the breeze was magnificent for being on two wheels. 

Plus, I LOVE riding my bike passing local traffic


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## Marc (May 16, 2007)

Meh.  It's just like anything else.  Wheels need truing,  bearings need grease and tightening, replacement here and there.  Chains stretch, cog teeth wear.  Drivetrain needs near constant attention.  OTOH, internally gear hubs are heavy, don't shift as nice, can get leaky seals.  Pedal bearings wear out.  Star nuts are a huge PITA to install and don't even get me started on headset cups!  Or suspension.  That opens a whole 'nother can o worms.


I don't know man, I spend more hours maintaining my bike than my car.  I don't know how exactly you define a "perfect machine" but I don't think a bike is it.


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## Marc (May 16, 2007)

BTW, the basic technology of the bike hasn't changed a whole lot over the past 30 years.  I mean, we use more composites and we have brifters and clipless now.  Whoopee.  Calling it the "pinnacle in mans [sic] technological developement"?  That has to be a bit tongue in cheek.


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## bruno (May 16, 2007)

Marc said:


> BTW, the basic technology of the bike hasn't changed a whole lot over the past 30 years.  I mean, we use more composites and we have brifters and clipless now.  Whoopee.  Calling it the "pinnacle in mans [sic] technological developement"?  That has to be a bit tongue in cheek.



hey marc!
you're lookin' at it wrong man! a bike is the most efficient piece of transport known to man i'd say. ya got a 25 or 30 lb. machine that'll carry ya wherever ya wanna go. internal combustion is pretty inefficient seems to me as ya need (in a car at least) about 5000 lbs of metal to get ya the same place. plus you're pollutin'!!

c'mon man! get on board da total bikey lifestyle! we need ya man!!!:flag::smile::-D:dunce:


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## Goblin84 (May 16, 2007)

love this quote....This is what I go by when I bike.  I dont know the area that well, turn right 4 times and hopefully I am back where I started....



I'm at home and at ease on a track that I know not,
And restless and lost on a road that I know.
--Henry Lawson


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## jplynch019 (May 19, 2007)

I heard this statistic I thought was interesting:   A bike loses only 3% power transfer from source (human) to motion.  97% fuel efficient!  So I get around 20 - 30 miles on a bowl of oatmeal, banana, and a glass of OJ.   Not too shabby!


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## Marc (May 19, 2007)

jplynch019 said:


> I heard this statistic I thought was interesting:   A bike loses only 3% power transfer from source (human) to motion.  97% fuel efficient!  So I get around 20 - 30 miles on a bowl of oatmeal, banana, and a glass of OJ.   Not too shabby!



Except you lose a lot of energy to heat when your body makes the conversions


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## jplynch019 (May 19, 2007)

Good bike quote site.

http://www.quotegarden.com/bicycling.html


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## bruno (May 20, 2007)

jplynch019 said:


> I heard this statistic I thought was interesting:   A bike loses only 3% power transfer from source (human) to motion.  97% fuel efficient!  So I get around 20 - 30 miles on a bowl of oatmeal, banana, and a glass of OJ.   Not too shabby!



tell it bro! i hope gasoline prices keep climbing. i really really do. you drive, you pay. like in the rest of the world.:flame::uzi::smash::lol::-D:dunce::beer::flag:


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## jplynch019 (May 20, 2007)

I think the quote referred to the physics and mechanics of the bike itself.  Probably not the person powering it.  I don't now what the human efficiency is.


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## Marc (May 20, 2007)

jplynch019 said:


> I think the quote referred to the physics and mechanics of the bike itself.  Probably not the person powering it.  I don't now what the human efficiency is.



Indeed.  That's why I was point it out, you can't really say 97% _fuel_ efficient if you consider the fuel to be food.  I have know idea how efficient we are at converting food to mechanical energy either but I suspect it is quite high.  Certainly not 97%, but still quite high.


Sorry, I can't help it, I'm an engineer.  It is true a bicycle has very little driveline loss because there's not much of a drivetrain and very little rolling resistance because it's only carrying ~200 pounds on very narrow tires inflated to around 100 psi.


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## Marc (May 20, 2007)

But remember also that if we're talking about power loss from human output to motion, running is 100% efficient


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## jplynch019 (May 20, 2007)

I gave that answer when asked it in college a long time ago.  Prof. asked what is the most efficient form of human powered trasnportation.  I think my response (30 years ago) was walking.  He said, no, its a bicycle.  Have no idea what he was basing it on, and frankly I think I was more interested in watching the clock waiting for the class to end and didn't discuss the point further.  I do know that running puts some strain on the knees and hips, where the ol round 'n round of the pedals seems pretty easy.   Oh well.  It's all good fun.


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## jplynch019 (Jun 10, 2007)

yeah, fair enough.  97% mechanically efficient. but that's not too shabby either.


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