Old 07-18-16, 10:00 PM
  #208  
350htrr
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Bikes: 27 speed ORYX with over 39,000Kms on it and another 14,000KMs with a BionX E-Assist on it

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Originally Posted by Doug64
I was never a wiz in physics, but my understanding of "work" goes something like this:

It takes the same amount of work to move a given weight over a given distance. It does not matter if you have one gear or a multi geared bike.

It is like loading 100lb of grain. You can load 2, 50 lb sacks(high gears)into the truck or 5, 20 lb sacks(lower geras)into the truck the work is the same, just over a longer period. It allows a person to lift those 5 sacks of grain at a rate and weight that is
More realistic for the average person, and less muscle fatigue.

You can pedal at 40 rpm with a higher gear while exerting more pedal pressure or 90 rpm at a lower gear with less pressure(madeup as an example)to move the bike and rider up the hill. The work is the same.

The way I understand it is the amount of gears really does not matter on this discussion.
My point is, that gearing is assistance, and yes it is different than a motor, but assistance none the less. Without the "assistance" mechanical advantage of the gearing, most people wouldn't be able to tour on a fixie, as they wouldn't be able to make it up most hills... No? So it's not really much different than an assistance from a motor, If you want to compare it to a fixie with no gears being the baseline as what can be done by human effort only, without any kind of "assistance"...
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