Bicycling Science, third edition

by Wilson, David Gordon

• ISBN13: 9780262731546
• ISBN10: 0262731541
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-03-19
• Publisher: The MIT Press

Summary

The bicycle is almost unique among human-powered machines in that it uses human muscles in a near-optimum way. This new edition of the bible of bicycle builders and bicyclists provides just about everything you could want to know about the history of bicycles, how human beings propel them, what makes them go faster, and what keeps them from going even faster. The scientific and engineering information is of interest not only to designers and builders of bicycles and other human-powered vehicles but also to competitive cyclists, bicycle commuters, and recreational cyclists. The third edition begins with a brief history of bicycles and bicycling that demolishes many widespread myths. This edition includes information on recent experiments and achievements in human-powered transportation, including the "ultimate human- powered vehicle," in which a supine rider in a streamlined enclosure steers by looking at a television screen connected to a small camera in the nose, reaching speeds of around 80 miles per hour. It contains completely new chapters on aerodynamics, unusual human-powered machines for use on land and in water and air, human physiology, and the future of bicycling. This edition also provides updated information on rolling drag, transmission of power from rider to wheels, braking, heat management, steering and stability, power and speed, and materials. It contains many new illustrations.

Author Biography

David Gordon Wilson was Professor of Mechanical Engineering Emeritus at MIT. An acknowledged authority on human-powered transit and bicycle design—and the self-described “father of modern recumbents”—he was also a prolific inventor and an early advocate for a “carbon fee” to encourage the use of renewable energy.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. vii
Human Power
A short history of bicycling	p. 3
Human power generation	p. 37
Thermal effects on power production (how bicyclists keep cool)	p. 109
Some Bicycle Physics
Power and speed	p. 123
Bicycle aerodynamics	p. 173
Rolling: tires and bearings	p. 207
Braking	p. 237
Steering and balancing	p. 263
Mechanics and mechanisms: power transmission	p. 311
Materials and stresses	p. 353
Human-Powered Vehicles And Machines
Unusual human-powered machines	p. 399
Human-powered vehicles in the future	p. 431
Appendix	p. 457
Timeline	p. 465
Index	p. 473
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