Daily Evolution from Mastering Tai Chi

Chapter 352 - 272: This Strike Pierces the Stars

Wang Ye pressed his hand, "Don’t rush, I’ll change my clothes first."

After leaving the gang, he had been wearing the suit he got from them.

Although it looked handsome, the size was a bit small, and the fabric didn’t have much elasticity, clearly making it unsuitable for sports.

He needed to go back to his room and change back first.

At this moment, Bright couldn’t help but show a look of confusion.

Along the way, he had been very curious about why Wang Ye was wearing a suit.

In his impression, Wang Ye had always been someone focused on sports.

Yet, this suit gave off a heavy and formal vibe, and the material was very fine and expensive, clearly the kind to be worn in formal occasions, which clashed with Wang Ye’s previous image.

Thinking of this, Bright couldn’t help but ask, "There’s no formal occasion today, right buddy, why are you dressed so formally?"

But Wang Ye didn’t offer any explanation. He only quickly returned to the room and changed out of the suit.

He intended to throw the suit away, but after some thought, he decided to hang it up in the wardrobe.

After all, the suit looked quite classy, and it might come in handy someday.

After changing into a sports jacket that was crash-proof, wear-proof, and waterproof, he went back downstairs to the inn.

Wang Ye wheeled the bike out of the shed and onto the road.

Considering that he might vanish from sight the moment he started.

He also found Bright an off-road motorcycle.

Of course, even with the throttle fully open, this motorcycle couldn’t possibly keep up with him.

At most, it could act as a slight delay.

To prevent him from vanishing in a flash.

Bright, on the other hand, was full of anticipation, unable to imagine how such a bicycle, difficult even to lift its rear wheel to make the flywheel idle, could start or accelerate.

If he increased the pedaling cadence, what kind of speed would it be?

It should be known that in physics, there is a concept called the flywheel effect. It refers to the initial effort required to make a stationary flywheel spin, necessitating a lot of effort with repeated pushes for each turn, each turn being laborious and slow, but none of the efforts going to waste. The speed of the flywheel increases, and when it reaches a critical point, only slight force is needed to continue accelerating and maintaining that speed.

The larger the gear ratio, the more exaggerated the flywheel effect becomes,

The flywheel effect is not only applied in physics but also in economics, management, and other fields. For example, in industrial development, the flywheel effect refers to the virtuous cycle created when the prototype of an industrial cluster forms, attracting more funds and businesses to join. Jim Collins introduced how companies like Amazon and Intel used the flywheel effect to achieve success in his book "The Flywheel Effect." The flywheel effect is also applied in corporate management to achieve self-operation through persistent reform.

This concept, using the principle that a bicycle gear is initially hard to start, is a metaphor for other principles, which also highlights the memorable difficulty of starting a bicycle’s flywheel.

With an ordinary city commuting bicycle, just the starting few seconds are enough to make one breathless.

Wang Ye’s custom bike, with a gear ratio ten times higher than that of an ordinary commuting bike.

Of course, it was all the more incredibly difficult.

But correspondingly, the acceleration after starting was extremely terrifying.

Wang Ye stood by the bicycle, putting on a helmet, glasses, and a mask as protective gear. Then he mounted the bike, placing his feet on the pedals, preparing to exert force.

His bike did not have foot straps or cleats. Because when he exerted full force, these wouldn’t hold his feet in place.

When the pedals are spinning rapidly, it’s very dangerous to suddenly lose adhesion. Given this risk, it was better not to install such fixed components in the first place.

Moreover, most off-roading in harsh environments does not use cleat attachments because crashes happen often in such conditions, and having cleats would significantly increase the likelihood of injury in a crash. Since the cleats lock in place, they can’t be removed in just one or two seconds, and during a crash, the person and the bike might fly through the air together, with the bike potentially causing secondary injuries to the body.

But this point was somewhat incomprehensible to Bright. As a track cyclist, the most relied-upon equipment should be cleats and toe straps. While there is a certain risk with cleats in a crash, they can significantly increase power output and even prevent injuries to some extent.

To reach extreme speeds, cleats are indispensable because the cadence required for extreme speeds is so rapid that the friction between the soles and pedals needs to be high. Without the secured position provided by cleats, there’s a high likelihood of slipping, causing the foot to come off the pedal, and if a rider suddenly loses footing while maintaining an extreme high cadence, there’s a high chance of being scraped by the pedals or losing balance and crashing.

And having cleats allows the rider to exert an additional upward force during pedaling, which, though inconspicuous, in long-distance cycling, can distinctly distinguish a rider from those without cleats, improving speed, enhancing endurance, and reducing power loss.