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Old 10-06-2010, 02:27 PM   #16 (permalink)
bmwboarder
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OregonOutback - '01 Subaru Outback
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That is pretty interesting. The 1hr record has historically been set on a singlespeed or fixed gear: File:EddyMerckxHourRecordBike.jpg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

And earlier landspeed records used bikes like this:
land speed record bike | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
I would assume in the 24hrs the riders legs can't sustain the same power output for so long, and thus need gears. I don't think that negates the fact that derailleurs do have some drag, even if it is minimal for good ones.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dcb View Post
I'm not sure how you determined it was "max efficiency", that sounds a bit misleading to me.
A good road bike is very efficient, and a fixed/singlespeed does away with some of the few parts that do cause drag on such a bike. How is that not max efficiency? It is certainly not suitable for all situations, similar to how I wouldn't take a prius 4-wheeling, but that doesn't negate the prius's efficiency.
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