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What I learnt about cars, from cycling

30th September 2021, 15:53 by Rahul Nagaraj

This is not to start a debate between SUVs and Sedans. I just want the car makers to employ some of the below to make cars more efficient.

BHPian vinya_jag recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

A note before I start:

We are relatively new to cycling. For a little more than a year, we have ridden all types of Cycles (Basic, Mountain, Hybrid, Road). We have tried various terrains, learnt from our mistakes, and now most are on road bikes. Being a Bhpian, I can't stop thinking of cars even when I am riding, and cycling all the more lets you contemplate. The below post is all about me being a car engine and the bike being the car

The right Cycle for the right job

We started off with a mountain bike after the lockdown. We were very new to cycling, went into a shop, bought the best looking bike. We loved the stance of it. It was the Revin Camber. Little did we know how our riding would change over the next year. Our first few rides were within 20-25 km. Revin was fine. and then I remember the day when I was to ride 12 km to reach a friend's place, and then ride on from there to Avalahalli forest. We didn't have a pump with us back then, so I started from home, rode on. After a few km, I had run out of strength and hopelessly riding on. Didn't want to turn back as even turning back meant I had to cycle back that 7-odd km against the wind. Reached my friend's place, and then figured that my tyres were at 12PSI. Filled some air, and went to the forest, and this is where the Revin came into life, super easy to ride on those trails, filled with eucalyptus leaves and gravel. We had one basic bike, one Hybrid and then the Revin. Possibly, the Revin was the easiest to ride. Low seating, angled back geometry and wide tyres. The Hybrid would even spin without even giving traction on those gravel trails.

On the way back though, I rode the Hybrid, and this is when we were introduced to the real world of cycling. Riding the hybrid was super easy, and I hit 40 km/h and felt like I was on the moon.

We were so impressed, that my wife, primary rider of Revin, sold it off to buy a hybrid (Scott Subcross). I was on my old Mach City (Basic bike). A few months later, a few rides to the Airport, I was watching those road bikes zoom past us. I wanted one, badly, and soon after, it was my turn to switch to a Road bike. I just took the plunge, ignoring all the difficulties that I could hit, with such a riding position.

Here started my education and the reason for this post. The road bike was so revealing; light, aerodynamic riding position, tall gears. I was now hitting close to 60Kmph on the decline. Inclines were a breeze. The geometry, the weight and the tyres made it very easy on the straights, that other bikes were no match to mine. Soon, we were riding 100 km at a stretch. I even went to the Avalahalli forest a few more times after this, and never did I miss the Hybrid. (I sometimes had to carry my bike on my shoulder in certain parts though and walk down).

Coming to cars, the mountain bike is like the Landrover Defender, purpose-built for rough terrain, inclines. Huge approach and departure angles, tall body, wide rubber and torquey engines. The Hybrid is possibly like the T-Roc, very close to a road bike, but with an upright riding position. And then there is my road bike, a low slung sedan, perfect for mile-munching.

With 99% of our riding limited to roads, I saw no sense to ride anything other than a Road bike, and very recently, my wife too switched to a road bike.

Aerodynamics

Road bikes are best for riding against the wind. The low flat back riding position and narrow shoulder position gives it a huge advantage over a Hybrid. Riding back from the Airport has proven this a million times, against our Southwesterly winds.

When it comes to cars, they are also fighting a lot of forces. I wish there was a wind direction and wind speed flag on the car.

No wonder the latest electric cars first wanted to get the aerodynamics right, to increase their mileage. And they did manage. Model 3 came with a 0.23 and the EQS with a 0.21. Model X with a CD of 0.24 still returns to the 238Mi range, compared to 310Mi on the 3. So, having such a low CD is still not good enough from an SUV perspective, which is returning 25% lower mileage. It is not just the CD, but also the CD x Surface area and then the overall weight. (More on the weight part later)

There are even subtler aspects to a road bike's aerodynamics, narrow bars, narrow forks, the slightest gap between the wheel and the wheel arch and many more. Our Indian roads with such bad potholes force carmakers to have a huge tyre well, and an even more significant floor height, all hurting the car aero capabilities.

Tyre width

This is the best part of a road bike, skinny tyres. They are a huge advantage, low resistance, low contact patch, but prone to skidding. Mountain bikes have a lot of contact patches. You can actually hear them move on the road, a humming noise coming from them. Hybrids are a cross between the two, giving the best of both worlds, maybe closer to road bikes than MTBs.

This reminded me of our old Figo, which, with its 175x65 rubber would handle better than most cars today. I wonder how much more efficient can our modern cars be if we don't have such wide tyres. An SUV otherwise would wear much wider tyres (The Discovery wears a 255 wide rubber)

Weight

Revin weighed around 17 Kgs, and my road bike weighs 10.4. If I read more about it, it convinces me that weight is the biggest factor. To what extent do road bike makers go? (Tour De France ones weigh as little as 7Kilos), no disc brakes, no side stand, carbon fibre forks, all aluminium body, and the list goes on. Maruti will be shamed on how good the bicycle folks are, at reducing weight. (Just that they are not compromised on structural integrity)

So, remember the Model 3 vs Model X CD comparison? The extra 300 Kilos also adds significantly to the 25% drop in mileage.

When it comes to cars, we are filling them with unwanted stuff. Non-functional Roof rails, Skid plates, Spoilers and other endless indulgences.

Air Pressure

Maintaining the right air pressure is an easy way out for most of us, which we tend to forget. Remember the Avalahalli story? If not for the 12PSI, I wouldn't have remembered the day at all.

MTB tyres have 35-50PSI, I go for a 70 PSI on my road bike, Tour De France riders go with a 120-130.

On the flip side, higher tyre pressures on cars are dangerous (Beyond the permissible limit), however, remember to check tyre pressure before your next long drive. It could save a whole lot on your car's engine.

The suspension (Or the lack of it)

MTBs come with front suspensions, some even have rear suspensions, but they are hideous and also not much use. The MTB front forks do come in handy on bad roads, and are a must on hiking trails. This is one aspect where a road bike can't match. Mountain trails cannot be conquered without suspension. And on bad roads, road bikes can be teeth shattering if you don't use your elbows as suspension.

But do you know, suspension can be fully turned off on an MTB? For good roads, suspension turned off works best, as it stops the bike forks from moving longitudinally. Road bikes have no suspension of any sort. They are made thin, aero, and to make it sturdy, they are mostly done out of Carbon fibre.

With cars, I believe a harsh suspension probably works best again, more than a supple ride with more travel.

The Peloton

The easiest place to be riding is just behind the wheels of a fellow rider. This gives the same advantage a bird gets when they fly in a formation.

With cars, I don't think we could get into the slipstream so easily, as it would not be a safe distance, but finding a car of similar speed, and going behind it, without trying to overtake is a decent option. It gives you more time to react, as you already have seen the car in front react.

Respect Fellow road users

Saving the best to the last. I have never seen such lovely people who care for fellow cyclists. People smile, people give thumbs up, people stop to ask if everything is okay, people stop to fill the air for you, and sometimes stop and just have a chat about your bike.

When it comes to cars, all we are worried is about our space and how someone stole it from us, or how someone overtook us in the wrong place, or how someone came in the middle. I wish we at least have a smile at our fellow road users when we are in our cars. Care for the elderly drivers, show sympathy towards the dumb drivers and stay away from honking.

And a final note:

This is not to start a debate between SUVs and Sedans. I just want the carmakers to employ some of the above to make cars more efficient. Also, I would wish that we are more mindful of where we are going, and chose the right car for the day, and also understand our driving pattern before stepping into our next purchase. It makes little sense for someone who drives on straight roads to go for a 4x4 SUV, and for someone who lives and drives in the mountains or rural scape to be purchasing sedans. I even feel this is the right time for station wagons to make a comeback. Seen a V60?