OK, to put an end to all this fucking bickering about who is right here is the real answer.
In this very situation (man on bike, dropping off cliff, onto landing) the horizontal velocity DOES NOT mean shit. As phrosty said, if you fired a bullet at exactly parallel to the ground, and on a flat surface, and dropped one at the exact same time, they would hit at the same time. Diagram 1:[url=
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=10/27500241645.jpg&s=x1][/url]
BUT in a situation with mach speed projectiles, (some bullets are included in this) when the velocity is that high, the bullet covers so much ground so quickly that due the curvature of the earth, the bullet now has a somewhat upward velocity, away from the earth and the time elapsed will be slightly elongated due to the new upward velocity. Diagram 2:[url=
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=10/27500252075.jpg&s=x1][/url]
But as i said, and as phrosty pointed out, in any practical situation involving a human being as the projectile, the horizontal VELOCITY does not matter to effect final speed. it will in fact effect the direction of the speed though. Because the horizontal velocity won't ever change from the time when it leaves the edge of the cliff until impact. "onbjects in motion will stay in motion until an outside force is presented"
So now the angle of the velocity is not jus straight down, but it is down 53 mph or w/e that guy calculated but also the initial horizontal velocity in the x direction. so now the angle of the velocity should be somewhat at the same angle of the tranny, if it is steep like soemone said. Here is a simple diagram i drew up. diagram 3: [url=
http://putfile.com/pic.php?pic=10/27500261225.jpg&s=x1][/url]
I hope these pictures