Quote:
Originally Posted by Bicycle Bob
While there are differences in hair types, the limbs are so close to being smooth cylinders that some boundary-layer turbulators may well be desireable. Hair may also improve cooling at low density. The biggest reasons for leg shaving are to facilitate massage, and to simplify the treatment of road rash.
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Hair is too poor a conductor of heat and too thin to act as the fins of a heatsink. A significant amount will degrade cooling by acting as an insulator. However, it is also true that a close shave is not necessary for great performance. Just keeping it trimmed is enough. Then again, a lot of bike riders at my university (both racers and non-racers) shave their legs for looks.
One significant difference between hypermiling and bicycling is that while hypermiling is mostly about saving energy, saving energy is rarely the primary goal in bicycling. Instead, it is about reducing peak power usage and/or increasing speed. If anything, many ride bicycles to use up energy and lose weight! As a result, I have an idea for a hybrid to regen that energy and store it for later use. Which, of course, can be implemented with either a HSD or IMA system. If it's used purely for energy generation, the HSD bike will only need to be switched to generator mode and something used to hold it stable. The IMA bike will need a stand that lets the rear wheel spin free. The batteries will be of a type that are tolerant of deep discharge (NiMH or Li-ion) and have a connector to allow electroncis to be powered from the regened energy.
Of which, perhaps a bike based on HSD can be programmed to motor through crank angles that are inefficient and extract energy at more optimum angles for better performance? (Would that be the bicycling equivalent of Atkinson cycle?)