The stunt
Before any jump, the stance. Hips open to one side, legs locked, all the weight on a big-toe hook, a tap of the free foot to get moving. It feels like wakeboarding. I say it goes farther on the same battery. Episode 00 is finding out if that's true.
The work
Weekly clips of the stance being built: the tap-tap launch, the first full carve, and the bails along the way.
The night
A stance clinic and group ride for local riders, with the lab's numbers on a screen at the end. Whatever the number is, it gets shown.
Solve the Jump
Does standing side-on really use less energy?
Air drag grows with the area you push through the air. Turn your body sideways and that area shrinks. The test: same wheel, same loop, same speed, both stances, and measure the watt-hours used per mile.
Example with made-up numbers: a 2,000 Wh battery at 30 Wh per mile goes 66.7 miles. At 27 Wh per mile it goes 74.1. How much would the stance have to save to add ten miles?
The physicsDrag force = ½ × air density × drag coefficient × frontal area × speed²
What gets measured
- Watt-hours per mile in each stance
- Speed held on the same loop
- Tire pressure, temperature and wind, so the comparison is fair
What has to be true first
- A university physics department agrees to run the test
- Same wheel, same rider, same day, both stances
- The result gets published even if the stance loses