Originally Posted by
bbbean
Mass isn't the relevant characteristic.
Glue around the whole circumference of the wheel is not really anything like one patch. So, using glue as a justification for worrying about a patch doesn't make much sense.
Originally Posted by
bbbean
Given that some of the better minds in cycling and engineering have acknowledged the possibility of a patch having a measurable effect (see R Chung's post above), it is clearly conceivable. The questions of exactly how much it matters remains to be answered, but it isn't an inconceivable issue.
A "possibility" is really weak. "Everything is possible", so saying it's "possible" is rather useless.
In any case, the interest doesn't seem to be whether it is "conceivable".
It would seem the real interest is "whether it has a real/practical effect".
"The questions of exactly how much <whether> it matters" is really what people should be trying to answer.
It seems very likely that it wouldn't really matter at all.