ELI5, How am I able to go farther and faster on my bicycle than by walking, considering I have to move the mass of the bike, as well as the loss of energy to friction from the gears and wheels?
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The energy required to move you and the bike versus energy transfered from you to the bike is not 1 to 1 thanks to the transmission and wheels. It’s no different in cars. How can a 1 liter engine move a 1 ton car? It’s the transmission that makes it possible. More gears means more of the energy is efficiently transferred to the wheels. Same applies to bicycles: we are the engines and the gears and chain are the transmissions. Granted, there are bikes with a single speed; however, they typically come with oversized tires and cranks to offset it.
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