Cycling is not basketball. Very little skill involved. Almost pure physics and anatomy…[/quote]
I don’t know about that, take a look at how smoothly the pros turn the pedals, and than look at the weekend warrior. There is a huge difference. It is like saying there is not skill in swimming or sprinting.
While it is physics and anatomy, most people don’t know where and how it is applied, let alone have the muscle memory to correctly apply them.
There are many examples where popular conception is far from accurate. Here are only a few…
On a flat course weight matters much much less than wind resistance, so your ability to stay in an aero tuck is much more important than if your bike weighs five or ten pounds more.
Many people fight themselves while pedaling by trying to pull on the upstroke when it is much more efficient to just un-weigh the up pedal. You end up expending less energy and going faster longer. In fact the wide adaption of clipless pedals probably contributes to this. The kids riding there Magma boat anchors with plastic platform pedals are probably spinning more efficiently.
Those rock hard tires are great for a glass smooth surface like velodrome track, but not so great on a pot hole filled surface roads. You’ll likely go a bit faster with fatter/heavier and cushier tires, and you’ll fatigue less as well. And much, much more.
