Instrumentation of a racing bicycle for outdoor field testing and evaluation of the cyclist's comfort perception

摘要

High frame stiffness is one of the most important parameters a racing bicycle should fulfil, it shows advantages in steering stability and a smaller amount of pedalling power is lost due to frame deflection. On the contrary, increased stiffness may attenuate the shock absorption ability of the frame and consequently leading to lack of comfort for the cyclist. This work proposes the absorbed power criterion to assess the cyclist's comfort at in-situ conditions and therefore the racing bicycle must be instrumented with sensors which measure the contact force and - velocity. This paper describes how all sensors are designed, calibrated and tested for their good functioning. Initial outdoor field tests have shown that all sensors work properly and that the absorbed power method can be used for future work regarding human comfort and how it is affected by parameters such as tyre pressure or cycling position.