E-Book Overview
The second edition of Bicycling Science includes new information on recent achievements and experiments in human-powered transportation, from the ''ultimate human-powered vehicle'' (UHPV) in which supine riders can achieve speeds well over 60 mph, to human-powered aircraft, boats, and rail transportation. New chapters cover the history of bicycle and humanpower technology and science, and the speed-power relationships of various modes and vehicles including performance predictions for the UHPV and the ''commuter human-powered vehicle.'' The chapters on braking, steering, friction, air drag, rider cooling, and transmissions and gearing have all been enlarged and updated. James McCullagh, editor of Bicycling Magazine has written a Foreword for this edition which also includes many new illustrations.
E-Book Content
Bicycling Science
Frank Rowland Whitt
second edition
David Gordon Wilson
The MIT Press Cambridge, Massachusetts London, England
Ninth printing, 1995 © 1982 by The Massachusetts Institute of Technology All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Whitt, Frank Rowland. Bicycling science. Includes bibliographies and index. 1. Bicycles—Dynamics. 2. Man-machine systems. I. Wilson, David Gordon, 1928–. II. Title. TL410.W48 1982 629.2'31 81-20950 AACR2 ISBN 0-262-23111-5 ISBN 0-262-73060-X (pbk.)
Contents
Foreword ix Preface xi i Acknowledgments xvii HUMAN POWER 1
History of human-powered machines and vehicles 3 References 27
2
Human power generation 29 Muscle chemistr