At 08:30 AM 03/07/2008 -0700, Jerome & Elizabeth Moos wrote:
>It's not a myth at all. A wheel with more mass far from the center of
rotation, i.e. the rims and tire, does take more energy to accelerate to a
given speed as you concede.
Even Jobst Brandt concedes it only makes a tiny difference.
http://yarchive.net/
I suspect the story about an ounce saved on the wheels being equivalent to a pound saved on the frame stems from using tubular tires. They just feel so much more livelier than clinchers (at least the clinchers of 40-50 years ago) and of course, they were lighter.
John Betmanis
Woodstock, Ontario
Canada