Originally Posted by
pdlamb
I wonder, was this model ever validated against experiment, or is this one of those "assume a spherical cow" type of homework problems that made it into a book?
On page 256 of the 3rd edition he states
Wilson (1993) studied rim temperature attained during steady downhill braking of the type required in cycling on mountain roads. His results showed that temperatures reached are likely to be dangerously high for standard road bicycles that rely on rim brakes alone…
The citation is
Wilson, (1993), “Rim temperatures during downhill braking.” Human Power 10, no. 3 (Spring/Summer), 15-18.
The paper is about mathematical modeling rather than measurement. He makes no mention of the idea of pulse braking and even says “Letting the brakes off to stop heating the rims would lead to a totally impracticable speed,” in reference to a tandem ride in New Zealand. He presents various other anecdotes which seems to indicate that he is not a bold descender.
Last edited by cyccommute; 08-25-22 at 09:53 AM.