Re: Science of cycling still largely mysterious

On 5/21/2025 4:13 PM, Roger Merriman wrote:

zen cycle <funkmasterxx@hotmail.com> wrote:

 A full suspension bike is far more efficient over rough terrain in terms
of speed and comfort.

I dimly recall an article in _Bicycling_ magazine (before it effectively morphed into "Buycycling") that documented the measured increase in downhill speed of a suspended bike compared to a rigid bike. At that time, it was an unfamiliar concept.

Indeed doesn’t take a particularly rough gravel road for my MTB suspension
and tyres to make it a faster bike, vs the Gravel bike be that my times on
Strava or unfortunate Gravel riders on the Ridgeway etc.

And in the past few years, many people have realized that it takes very little roughness to make wider, cushier tires valuable for increasing speed. Bumping the rider about has serious energy costs.
--
- Frank Krygowski