Someone wrote: >If I'm using a Greenland paddle at 120 strokes and you're using a wider >paddle at 60 and we're keeping pace, and all other factors are equal, >then I'm probably more efficient. If you are doing 120 with a Greenland stick, you are not tilting the blade. Tilt that sucker, and your cadence will drop back to 60. I can easily paddle with most people I know, stroke for stroke and at the same boat speed, with my greenland stick. It is sized the "traditional" way, so it is short, as I am, and narrow, as I have short fingers. Not only do I paddle at the same cadence, I get a rest between strokes, unlike my paddling partners. If I take the rest out, the cadence goes up and I pull ahead. Also, from the biomechanical standpoint, there is a point where high speed starts to be inefficient. Cadence vs efficiency has been thoroughly studied in bicycling. Actually, LOW cadences (around 60 RPM) seem to have the best "efficiency", in terms of converting oxygen to output power, but for long distances, a higher cadence (90 rpm) is easier on the mucles and joints, so it can be done for hours and days at a time. However, as one pedals faster, eventually the power output drops to nothing. Try it sometime, pedal a stationary bike at no load as fast as posible. Use toeclips or shoes with clips, or else your feet fly off the pedals at about 120 RPM! Most folks will find that they cannot physically pedal much faster than 140 - 150 RPM. At this point, the power has dropped off, just as it does with an internal combustion engine. All the effort is going into making the legs move fast, nothing left over to make the bike move. The efficiency is down to zero at this point. Rob. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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