Originally Posted by
pdlamb
… -- only to overcome the aerodynamic drag and tire hysteresis.
Everyone keeps acting like these are only small forces to consider. Tire hysteresis is probably trivial especially if the tire is inflated so that the tire is stiffer. However, aerodynamic drag is the greatest opposing force we experience. High school and college physics tell us to neglect aerodynamic forces for demonstration purposes because it makes the math so much easier but in the real world we can’t…nor should we…neglect them.