Originally Posted by
cyccommute
While I admire Dr. Wilson’s work, I think he has drawn a wrong conclusion in this case. He seems to assume that the temperature decreases with speed is due to the increase airflow. However, he neglects the effect of the brakes on the rim itself. On a 20% slope (or any slope for that matter) maintaining a slower speed requires more of the forward momentum to be converted to heat than does a faster speed. You can’t maintain close to terminal velocity with the brakes on as hard as they would be at 20 mph. The temperature increase at slower speed would be friction related rather than related to the air flow. At higher speed, there is a lower temperature increase above ambient because there isn’t any friction being put into the system. He makes the statement “…going fast avoids heating the rim unless emergency braking has to be applied, in which case the danger of overheating the rim is sudden and serious.” The problem with that statement is that if you are going 60 mph, you aren’t using the brakes so the heat being put into the system is zero. Hard application of the brakes to slow for some reason would be transitory and would not cause the temperature of the system to rise to the same level as if the brakes were being used to maintain a given speed.
Originally Posted by
cyccommute
That’s your opinion. You are wrong.
Sure, sure. Whatever you say.
Someone with a post-doctorate and who was a professor of engineering at MIT wrote an entire 480 page book, but of course you know better. You are right and the MIT engineering professor is wrong. How dare they disagree with you... you're the smartest man you know... you've never been wrong in your life before so how could you be wrong now... What a gap of knowledge the scientist had! Oh boy... oh boy... Massive pat on the back for you old boy! You put him right you did. What a shame the MIT professor never had a chance to be educated by you... Good on you... good on you...