Global environmental and urban planning concerns have resulted in a large push for people to use cycling as a mode of transport. Topography, particularly uphill slopes can be huge deterrents for poten..
Global environmental and urban planning concerns have resulted in a large push for people to use cycling as a mode of transport. Topography, particularly uphill slopes can be huge deterrents for potential commuter cyclists, but electronic-assist bicycles are able to account for the physiological shortcomings of human beings. This paper analyzes and compares the required power output for professional cyclists against e-bike commuters to discover how much e-bikes can close the physiological gap between the two groups. For cycling on flat terrain, the majority of power is used to overcome aerodynamic resistance, which can vary heavily depending on rider position, and the effect of drafting, while the largest resistive force when cycling uphill is overcoming gravity. Professional cyclists output significantly less power even as solo riders on the flat terrain due to optimized aerodynamic positions, although e-bikes can provide enough power to maintain a constant speed of 30 kph. Uphill, the power required to overcome gravity is more than some affordable e-bikes can handle to maintain constant speeds of 20 kph and thus fall short of keeping up with the physiological abilities of professional cyclists.
