Thursday Thoughts ~~ Human Power

Definitions:

Horsepower:  1 hp = 550 foot pound second.  That’s the power necessary to raise 550 pounds to a height of one foot in one second.

1 hp = 746 watts.

We all like to think we’re pretty strong.  We cyclists and athletes are especially prone to this.  The truth is, we are, and we aren’t.  The average leaf blower has a higher sustained power output than most of us can manage.

And yet…

In the animal kingdom, humans are fairly puny.  A horse is faster.  A cheetah or even a tiger is much faster.  Any number of animals are stronger, bears, gorillas, even chimpanzees.  The average house cat can jump to a height five times greater than theirs.  (Imagine if the average human could jump 25 feet straight up!)  Eagles see farther, and more clearly.  Our teeth and claws are down right pathetic, and we don’t hear very well either.

And yet…

We humans have this gift.  We think, and make tools.  One of the most remarkable of the tools we have ever invented is the bicycle.  It amplifies us, as do all our tools.

No means of transportation ever invented equals the bicycle for power-efficiency.  None.

On almost any weekend, from mid-Spring through until mid-fall, literally thousands of fairly ordinary humans perform an astonishing feat.  We mount bicycles and ride 100 miles.  We do it in a day.  Actually, the slowest among us manage this feat in about eight hours.  Attempt to drive the typical horse that same distance, in that same time, and you end up with a dead horse.

The combination of the incredible bio-chemical efficiency of human muscle, and the amplifying properties of the bicycle make such a thing fairly common.

A human, in decent condition, can deliver a sustained power output of close to 200 watts.  That’s a bit more than one quarter of one horsepower.  And yet, with the bicycle, we can move!  We can cover distances that, only a short historical time ago, seemed magical.  We can do so, while carrying useful loads.

A typical cycle-tourist often covers close to 100 miles per day, while transporting 50 to 70 pounds of equipment.

So, what can we do with a bicycle?  Let your imagination ponder that one for a while.  What could you do with your bicycle?

Think about it.