Well, let's hold on a minute. I am not an advocate of superlight bicycles. But this statement is wrong.
Riding a bicycle on Earth, you are accelerating most of the time, to counter the deceleration caused by gravity and air resistance. You wouldn't be accelerating all the time, if you were bicycling in space.
So, if we are going to drag science and facts(!) into the argument, it gets more complicated. The deceleration caused by gravity is related to mass, but not linearly, since the force of gravity is generally perpendicular to the motion of a bicycle.
The more important consideration is that the mass of the bicycle is small compared to the mass of the rider. Go on a diet, and this argument is moot.
Louis Schulman Tampa, Florida (warm and sunny in Paradise, I don't know how anyone can live where it snows)
On Tue, 25 Feb 2003 19:45:08 -0600, Todd Kuzma wrote:
# #Your equation illustrates the point perfectly. During most bicycle riding, #the acceleration is zero. Now, do the math. Even during sprinting, the #acceleration experienced on a bike is very small. # #Todd Kuzma
#on 2/25/03 7:34 PM, Brandon Ives at monkeylad@mac.com wrote: # #> Here's your really basic physics equation: #> F=M*A #> F= Force #> M= Mass (kg) #> A= Acceleration (m/s squared) #> Let's call A 5 and have it be static. #> #> 5*6.8(15 lb bike)= 34 #> 5*9(20 lb bike)= 45 #> #> We all know mass isn't really the same as weight, but for the basic #> question of if a 15 or 20 pound bike performs better it'll work. The #> 15 pound bike takes less force to move down the road, thus performs #> better.