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Cycling Bio-Mechanics

 Basic Terminology (fill in the details as a class)

– Work

– Energy

– Power

– Force

– Torque

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Things I’ve always

wondered about
1. Why do we shift gears on a bicycle?
2. What determines how fast our bike goes for a
given power input?
3. Are toeclips worth the trouble?

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Newton’s Second Law

 F = ma = m dv/dt

F4
F1

a
C.G. A Rigid Body

F2
F3

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External Forces acting on Bike

RIDER WEIGHT WIND RESISTANCE

HANDLEBAR FORCE

BIKE WEIGHT

PEDAL
FORCE

GROUND REACTION FORCES

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Force Transmission

L3 F1 Purpose of bike transmission

F3=F2 F2 is to convert the high force, low
L2
velocity at the pedal to a higher
velocity (and necessarily lower force)
at the wheel. The power at pedal (F1 x
L4
V1) equals the power at the wheel (F4
L1 x V4) (assuming no friction losses)
F4

F 4 = F1 x ?

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Pedal Forces

A clock diagram showing the

total foot force for a group of
elite pursuit riders using toe
clips, at 100 rpm and 400 W.
Note the orientation of the force
vector during the first half of the
revolution and the absence of
pull-up forces in the second
half. (ref 3, pg 105)

used by permission of Human Kinetics Books,

©1986, all rights reserved

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Pedal Force Components

Fr = Total Foot Force

Fe=Effective Force
(causes useful Torque)
CRANK
PEDAL

The total foot force can be resolved

into vector components

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Effective Pedal Force

EFFECTIVE FORCE
RESULTANT FORCE
FORCE UNUSED FORCE
(N) NEGATIVE EFFECTIVE FORCE

0 180 360
CRANK ANGLE (Degrees)
(ref 3, pg 106)
used by permission of Human Kinetics Books,
©1986, all rights reserved
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Horizontal
Force between
Rear Wheel and
Road

A plot of the horizontal force between the rear wheel and the road,
due to each leg. The total force is shown as the bold solid line.
Note that this force is not constant, due to the fact that the force
applied at the pedal is only partly effective. (ref 3, pg 107)
used by permission of Human Kinetics Books,
©1986, all rights reserved

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MOST EFFICIENT
Pedal Speed PEDALLING SPEED

Optimum speed for most

people is 55-85 rpm.
This yields the most
useful power output for a
given caloric usage (ref 3, pg 79)

used by permission of Human Kinetics Books,

©1986, all rights reserved

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Human Power Output

 Most adults can deliver .1 HP (75 watts)
continuously while pedaling which results in a
typical speed of 12 mph
 Well-trained cyclists can produce .25 to.40 HP
continuously resulting in 20 to 24 mph
 World champion cyclists can produce almost .6
HP (450 watts) for periods of one hour or more -
resulting in 27 to 30 mph
Why do the champion cyclists only go
about twice as fast if they can produce
nearly 6 times as much power?
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Human Power Output

The maximum power output that can be sustained for

various time durations for champion cyclists. Average
power output over long distances is less than 400 W.
used by permission of Human Kinetics Books, (ref 3. pg 112)
©1986, all rights reserved
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The Forces Working Against Us

Drag Force due to air resistance: Fdrag =CdragV2 A
Cdrag = drag coefficient (a function of the shape of the body and the
density of the fluid)
A = frontal area of body
V = velocity

and since: Power = Force x Velocity

This means that, to double your speed requires 8 times
as much power just to overcome air drag (since
power ~ velocity3)

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Some Empirical
Data

Drag force on a cycle versus speed

showing the effect of rider position. The
wind tunnel measurements are less
than the coast-down data because the
wheels were stationary and rolling
resistance was absent. (ref 3, pg 126)

used by permission of Human Kinetics Books,

©1986, all rights reserved

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Forces - continued

 Rolling Resistance Frr=Crr x Weight

typical values for Crr:
knobby tires .014
road racing tires .004
 Mechanical Friction (bearings, gear train)
absorbs typically only 3-5% of power input if well maintained

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Other Energy Absorbers

 Hills (energy storage or potential energy)

Change in Potential Energy = Weight x Change in elevation (h)

h Here, the rider has stored up

energy equal to the combined
weight of rider and bike times
the vertical distance climbed.

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The First Law of

Thermodynamics
 Conservation of Energy, for any system:

Energyin = Energyout +Change in Stored Energy

Energy input Internal Energy

of System
Energy Output

SYSTEM

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Now Put it All Together:

Velocity = f [ power input (pedal rpm, pedal force), road slope, rider
weight, bike weight, frontal area, rider position, gear ratio, tire type
and inflation, maintenance ...]
Your task: (as homework, due in one week, use computer
(spreadsheet program like EXCEL) for analysis and presentation
of results)
1. Using first law of thermodynamics, derive the relation between the
relevant factors to calculate V (bike velocity). Clearly state all
assumptions.
2. Generate a graph relating speed to hill grade (from 0% to 20%) for
riders weighing 120, 140, 160, 180 and 200 pounds who are
exerting a continuous power of 0.1 HP.
3. Determine the terminal velocity of the 160 lb rider coasting going
down a 10% grade.

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