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Bicycling Gear - Function Over Form
You have all see them around
the town where you live. A grown man or woman, riding
a two wheeled contraption that looks like a larger version
of what you bought your kid for Christmas last year.
Wearing tight clothing, helmet and gloves, they look
more alien than human as they ride around in strange
attire and what looks to be a most uncomfortable position.
So what is going on with bicyclists?
Why do they wear weird looking clothes? Is all that
gear they have really necessary?
A bicyclist is always in a constant
struggle against wind resistance. It is a battle that
can never be won. Everything from the bicyclist's helmet,
shorts, shoes and bike are made to make the fight against
wind resistance easier.
A rider's position on the bicycle is
designed to reduce the area of the body that comes into
contact with the air. The more aerodynamic the position
on the bike the less power the cyclist has to produce
to maintain, or achieve, a given speed.
Bicycling shorts have always been the
brunt of many jokes from those who do not understand
the function they serve. The shorts are skin-tight to
reduce the air resistance and to keep the fabric from
rubbing and moving next to the skin which may create
a sore spot.
Of course, what may be the most desirable
feature of cycling shorts is the padding which is built
into the seat. Because the bicycle is built in such
an aerodynamic form, the seat is made to be as slim
as possible. This does not make it very comfortable
to sit on which is where the padding in the cycling
shorts makes a difference.
Your ability to pedal into the wind
resistance is what propels you down the road. Many cyclists
use a special shoe and pedal combination which helps
deliver a more efficient pedal stroke to the bike. The
shoes clip into the pedal via a cleat on the bottom
of the shoe that connects firmly onto the pedal mechanism.
This allows the cyclist to focus more power on the pedal
and can both pull up and push down on the pedal stroke.
Helmets are necessary due to safety
concerns. However, the shape of most helmets are built
so that they are as aerodynamic as possible. The front
of the helmet is rounded toward the side and back. Numerous
air vents are built in to the helmet for comfort on
hot and humid rides.
Bicycling gloves are worn to help absorb
the road shock. The gloves have padding built into the
palm. Most bicycling gloves do not fully cover the fingers.
The reason for this is it makes it much easier to grasp
fully the brakes when needing to slow down or stop.
The gloves do not necessarily help with aerodynamics,
but they do make the ride more comfortable, which gives
you more energy to ride and fight the air resistance.
Bicyclists love to ride. They may look
different in their gear, but it is out of necessity
that they wear what they do. The fight is against wind
resistance. They look no stranger than a football player
or race car driver in their gear. The difference is
a bicyclist has to use the gear in public every time
they venture out to ride his bike and wage the battle
against air resistance.
1howto.com
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