Pergamon J. Biomechanics, Vol. 28, No. 4, pp. 3655375.

1995
Copyright 0 1995 Ekvicr Science Ltd
Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved
0021-9290/95 $9.50 + 0.00

0021-9290(94)00102-2

THE EFFECT OF RIDER WEIGHT ON RIDER-INDUCED

LOADS DURING COMMON CYCLING SITUATIONS
Cal Stone* and M. L. Hull?
*Hewlett-Packard, Rohnert Park, California, U.S.A.; and TDepartment of Mechanical Engineering,
University of California, Davis, CA 95616, U.S.A.

Abstract-Motivated bythedesireto provideinformationusefulin thedesign

analysisof bicycleframes,the
hypothesis testedwasthat a simplelinearmodelwouldrelatethemaximummagnitudes of rider-induced
loadsto riderweight.Rider-induced loadsareloadsdevelopedasa resultof weightandmuscular actions
during pedalling.To test this hypothesis,five ridersspanninga wide weightrangerode a bicycle
unrestrained on a treadmill.Dynamometersmeasured sixcomponentsof pedalloadsandfivecomponents
of both seat and handlebar loads while riders rode three common cycling situations - seated cruising,
seated climbing, and standing climbing. Average,average maximum,andaverageminimumvalueswere
computedfor allloadcomponents andeachwasanalyzedstatistically.
For allthreetestcases,
theregression
slopewassignificantfor theforcecomponent
normalto thepedalsurface. Because thenormalpedalforce
component has been shown previously to dominate frame stressat the point most likely to fatigue (Hull and
Bolourchi, 1988, .I. Strain. Anal. 23, 105-l 14), the results of this study should be useful in designing frames
optimized for minimum weight and acceptable structural reliability.

INTRODUCTION cycling situations. Becauseof their utility in bio-

To designa structure which must reliably carry loads
usingtechniquesof engineeringanalysis,information
regarding the loading to which the structure is sub-
jected is necessary. While this may seemobvious,only
recently has such information becomeavailable for
bicycle frameand/or componentdesign.Perhapsthis
is becausequantifying the loading on bicycles is
complex.The complexity arisesin part becauseof the
different sourcesavailable to generate loads. One
sourceis the rider who developsloadsas a result of
both the muscularaction associatedwith pedalling
and his static weight. Theseloads are termed rider-
induced.Another sourceis any surfaceirregularities
over which a bicycle might travel. Termed surface-
inducedloads,theseinclude inertial loadsdeveloped
as a result of accelerations.A final sourceof loadsis
the control actionsof the rider suchaseither steering
or braking.
Concentratingon rider-inducedloads,addedcom-
plexity arises becausethe rider both contacts the
bicycle at multiple points and participatesin a variety
of cycling situationswhich introduce additional var-
iables.Among theseadditional variablesarethe riding
posture (i.e. seatedversusstanding), pedalling rate,
and averagepower output. Becausethese variables
assumea broad spectrumof valuesduring a typical
cycling outing, the rider-inducedloadsare influenced
dramatically depending on values assumedat any components. However, no previous study has investig-
given time.
Previous researchdeterminingrider-inducedloads inducedloads.
hasinvestigatedloadsat various contact points and
Received in final form 18 July 1994.
Addressall correspondence to Professor
M. L. Hull. duced loads.Becauserider-inducedloadsare funda-
mechanicalanalyses,pedal loads in the seatedposi-
tion have beenmeasuredmostfrequently. Early stud-
ies measuredthe driving pedal loads(e.g. Daly and
Cavanagh, 1976)while later studiesmeasuredall six
load components(e.g.,Davis and Hull, 1981a).Ex-
pandingthe numberof contact points, Bolourchi and
Hull (1985) measuredloads at both the seat and
handlebarsin addition to the pedal.Extending meas-
urementsinto cycling while standingwasthe work of
both Sodenand Adeyefa(1979),who measuredpedal
loadsandestimatedhandlebarloadsfrom equilibrium
considerations,and Stoneand Hull (19931,who meas-
ured multiple load componentsat both rider contact
points.
Not only is quantifying rider-inducedloads com-
plicated by the various situationsin which any given
rider might participate, but also it is complicatedby
the variability inherent in the riders themselves.Am-
ong the types of variability which havebeenshownto
affect rider-inducedloads,particularly at the pedals,
are differencesin lower limb anatomy (Ruby ef al.,
1992)and differencesin muscularcoordination (van
Ingen Schenauet al., 1990).However, thesetypes of
variability are probably of lesserimportancethan the
weight of the rider since,for equivalent speedand
pedallingrate,larger,heavierriderswould beexpected
to generatemorepower (Pavish,1988)with concomi-
tant increasesin pedal loads, especiallythe driving
ated the effect of this type of variability on rider-
The purposeof the researchreportedby this article
wasto test the hypothesisthat a direct relation exists
between rider weight and corresponding rider-in-

365
366 C. Stone and M. L. Hull

mentally different depending on the cycling situation,
it was desirable to test the hypothesis during common
cycling situations. The specific objectives were: (1) to
develop the instrumentation to measure rider-induced
loads at the three rider contact points; (2) to experi-
mentally measure the rider-induced loads during the
different cycling situations; and (3) to test the hypoth-
esis using statistical analysis techniques.
METHODS
Pedal loads were measured using the six-load com-
ponent pedal dynamometer developed by Hull and
Davis (1981). The pedal measured three force compon-
ents (PFx, PFy, PFz) and three moment components
(PMx, PMy, PMz) by means of foil strain gage and
octagonal strain ring technology (Fig. 1).
The crank angle BCand relative pedal-to crank angle
were measured using continuous rotation potenti-
ometers (Hull and Davis, 1981). The absolute pedal
angle Qp (Fig. 1) was computed from both the crank
and pedal potentiometers.
Handlebar loads were measured using a previously
reported five-load component handlebar dynamom-
eter (Stone and Hull, 1993). Using strain gages and
cantilever beam principles, the dynamometer meas-
ured the two force-moment combinations, HFx/HMz
and HFz/HMx, as well as the torsional moment HMy
(Fig. 2).
Like the handlebar dynamometer, the seatpost
dynamometer was instrumented based on cantilever
beam principles to measure five loads. Independent
pairs of half-bridges sensed each of the two
forceemoment combinations SFx/SMy and SFy/SMx
(Fig 3). The two gages in each half bridge were moun-
ted 180” opposed and located on the neutral axis of
bending created by the other force/moment combina-
tion, hence minimizing cross-sensitivity (Beckwith
et al.. 1982). The axial force SFz was measured by a full

-f-DC (8, = 0)

Parallel to Riding Surface

J
“\
--\

Fig. 1. Pedal dynamometer local coordinate system.The origin is at the center of the top surface of the pedal
dynamometer. The plane formed by x,, and zp is parallel to the plane of the bicycle frame. y, is mutually
perpendicular to X~ and zV 0, is measured positive from a line normal to the riding surface and clockwise
when viewed from the chainring side of the bicycle. 0, is measured positive from the plane parallel to the
riding surface and clockwise when viewed from the chainring side of the bicycle.
 Effect of rider weight 361

Yh

Handlebar

zh Brake Hood

Fig. 2. Handlebar dynamometer local coordinate system.The origin lies at the center of the brakehood. x,,
is parallel to the plane of the bicycle frame and q, is normal to the riding surface. y, is mutually perpendicular
to x,, and q,.

bridge. The full bridge was realized by interconnecting
four gages from two 90” strain rosettes mounted 180
opposed with gages oriented both along and perpendi-
cular to the seat post axis.
Eachdynamometerwascalibratedusingthe appar-
atus and procedure describedpreviously (Hull and
Davis, 1981)and then subjectedto an accuracycheck.
The accuracycheckinvolved applying variouscombi-
nationsof actual loads,computingthe apparentloads
through the calibration, and then determiningdiffer-
ences.A sufficientnumberof different load combina-
tions was applied to enablethe computation of root
meansquarederrors (RMSEs)for eachload compon-
ent (Table 1).
Transducer data were recorded from five experi-
enced cyclists (Table 2) who rode a racing bicycle
(Model 1500,Trek, Waterloo, WI) adjustedto fit as
closely as possibletheir own bicycle. Tire pressures
were maintained at 690kPa (100psi). Cyclists used
standard cleatswith toeclips and gripped the brake
hoods.Notice that the weightsof the cyclistscovereda
broad range(547-894N) asdesiredfor the hypothesis
tests.
Each of the five cyclistsparticipatedin three separ-
ate laboratory experiments.The experimentsincluded
the commoncyclingsituationsin which a cyclist might
participate during the course of a typical ride. To
enable a realistic simulation of standing cycling,
368 C. Stone and M. L. Hull

Riding Surface

Fig. 3. Seatpost dynamometer local coordinate system.The origin lies at the intersection of the seatpost axis
and the surface of the seat. The x, and Z, axes lie in the plane of the bicycle frame with the z, axis being
directed along the seat tube. The yE axis is mutually perpendicular and positive y, points into the paper.

Table 1. RMSE errors for each of the dynamometers

WN) FYW) Fz(N) Mx(Nm) My(Nm) Mz(Nm)

Pedal 6.1 3.3 14.1 0.3 0.3 0.5
Seat 1.3 1.6 4.5 0.1 0.2
Handlebar 3.3 6.5 0.2 0.1 0.1

cyclists rode all cases unrestrained on an inclined pedalling rate = 97 RPM), CaseB - seatedclimbing
treadmill (Model 24-72, Quinton, Seattle, WA). Tread- (speed = 7.2 m s- ‘, grade = 6%), pedalling rate
mill speedand grade were adjusted to require an = 84 RPM) and Case C - standing climbing (speed
average power output and gear ratio was selected to = 6.3 m s-l, grade = 8%, pedalling rate = 73 RPM).
require a pedalling rate which was representative of The 4% grade for the seatedcruisingcasesimulated
the following steady-ratecycling situations:CaseA - the air resistancethat would be sustainedduring
seated cruising (speed= 10.32m s- ‘, grade = 4%, normal cycling on that terrain.
 Effect of rider weight 369

Table 2. Cyclist information

Average riding
Weight Height distance per week Skill
Rider AgeW (NJ (m) (km) level

1 23 541 1.69 525 Cat. 2 Racer

2 23 663 1.72 240 Cat. 4 Racer
3 22 716 1.83 325 Cat. 2 Racer
4 35 778 1.88 200 Cat. 4 Racer
5 30 894 1.83 200 Cat. 3 Racer

Once a subject was comfortable and steady on the
treadmill, the data collection process commenced. All
analog signals were converted to digital form using a
12 bit A/D converter and a sampling rate of
200 Hz/channel. Signals were sampled in a burst mode
so that the time delay between successive samples in a
single burst was 20 ps. The total time of sampling was
5 s allowing a minimum of six full cycles of data to be
collected at the specified pedalling rates. Both before
and after data collection, dynamometer signal offsets
under zero load were recorded.
Recorded data were processed according to the
following operations and calculations:
l remove the average static offsets of the dyna-
mometers;
l calculate the dynamometer loads using the calib-
ration information;
l digitally filter calculated dynamometer loads;
l compute the instantaneous power output over all
cycles of data;
l from the individual cycles of loads, instantaneous
power, and pedal angle compute the mean values, the
average maximum and minimum values, and the
average phase angle corresponding to the maximum
and minimum values;
l for a particular subject, compute an average cycle
of data for all individual loads, the pedal angle, and the
power output.
In addition to the above operations, special soft-
ware previously described in Newmiller et al. (1988)
converted raw potentiometer data to degree incre-
ments, and computed the crankarm angular velocity
using a finite difference technique. Also, dynamometer
load and crankarm angular velocity data were digital-
ly filtered using a zero phase shift, fourth-order Butter-
worth filter. To minimize high-frequency content and
retain the features of the actual data, cut-off frequen-
cies of 15 and 5 Hz were selected for filtering the
dynamometer load data and crankarm angular velo-
city data, respectively.
A linear regression analysis was performed whereby
the regression coefficients were tested against the null
hypothesis, and the R2 values were computed. For all
hypothesis tests, the level of significance for rejecting
the null hypothesis was 0.05. The independent variable
was the rider’s weight and the dependent variables
were the calculated mean. average maximum, and
average minimum values of both the individual loads
and the power output.
RESULTS
To gain a qualitative appreciation for the effects of
rider weight on the rider-induced loads, the first
results to be presented are the average load compon-
ent profiles for three subjects at each of the rider
contact points for a single cycling case (i.e. seated
climbing). The data of only three rather than all five
subjects were included since including the data from
all five obscured features of the plots.
All three pedal forces developed their largest magni-
tudes during the downstroke region of the crank cycle
(O”-180”). However, only the magnitudes of peak
values for the driving components (PFx and PFz)
appeared to be influenced by the rider weight; max-
imum magnitudes increased with increasing weight
(Fig. 4).
The pattern of PMy (Fig. 5) nearly duplicated the
pattern of the corresponding negative PFx (Fig. 4).
This characteristic of the pedal loads has been ob-
served and explained previously (Hull and Davis,
1981). Because of the relation between PFx and PMy,
the presence of weight effects observed for PFx in the
downstroke was also observed for PMy. The remain-
ing pedal moments PMx and PMz (Fig. 5) did not
correlate to any of the pedal forces so that neither load
was consistently influenced by rider weight.
The handlebar forces exhibited a distinct two-cycle
for each crank cycle and were strongly correlated to
one another (Fig. 6). These characteristics have been
explained previously (Bolourchi and Hull, 1985). Not-
withstanding the strong correlation, only the extreme
positive excursion of HFx (2nd peak) increased con-
sistently with rider weight.
Similar to the handlebar forces, the handlebar mo-
ments exhibited the two-cycle behavior for each crank
cycle and the moments HMx and HMz were strongly
correlated to each other (Fig. 7). Despite the strong
correlation, only the extreme negative values of HMx
appeared to be consistently influenced by weight. The
handlebar moment HMy did not correlate strongly
with the other two moments particularly in the stand-
ing position and peak values were not weight depend-
ent.
370 C. Stone and M. L. Hull

160

140
- - -Rider2
120

100

& 6o F0
z
K 60 - -1

h 40
iz
-2
20

-20
- Rider4 :
/
I /
40 I I

0 45 90 135 160 225 270 315 360 45 90 135 180 226 2iO 316 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

60

60

40
20

% O
r -20

% 40

40
I \
-Rider 1
40 I \
-3 - - -Rider2
-100 \
,' - Rider 4
-120 -_- I I
4
0 45 so 135 180 225 270 315 360 0 45 90 135 160 225 270 315 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

4
-Rider 1

- - -Rider2
- Rider 4

- - - Rider 2 - 4
- Rider 4
-5

4 1 I I I I k-’ 1
0 45 so 135 160 226 270 315 360 0 45 90 135 160 225 270 315 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

Fig. 4. Average pedal force profiles for seated climbing Fig. 5. Average pedal moment profiles for seated climbing
(84 RPM pedalling rate, 6% grade, 7.2 m s- ’ speed). (84 RPM pedalling rate, 6% grade, 7.2 m s ’ speed),

Because the seat supports a large portion of the tion with the crank angular velocity. Profiles indicated
rider’s weight, both force components in the plane of maximum values which were directly related to rider
the bicycle (SFx and SFz) were related consistently to weight.
rider weight. Absolute average values as well as max- The results of the regression analyses on each of the
imum magnitudes both increased with increasing three quantities computed for each of the load com-
weight (Fig. 8). Although the other seat force compon- ponents for the three cycling cases are summarized ir
ent (SFy) is not affected intuitively by rider weight, Table 3. With the exception of PFz and PFx in Cases
there was an apparent relation where the extreme B, (seated climbing) and C (standing climbing), re-
negative value increased in an absolute sense. spectively, data in this table are limited only to those
The seat moments SMx and SMy (Fig. 9) did not load components and quantities where the null hypo-
correlate to any of the seat forces. Only the moment thesis that the slope was not significantly different
SMy appeared related to rider weight with the average from zero was rejected. Because of the importance of
value decreasing as weight increased. PFz in dictating frame stresses (Hull and Bolourchi,
Instantaneous power output profiles (Fig. 10) were 1988) data for quantities associated with this load
derived from the contributions of the normal and component were included for all three cycling
tangential pedal forces to the crank torque in conjunc- cases.
 Effect of rider weight 371

-80

0 45 90 136 180 226 270 316 360 0 45 90 136 180 226 270 316 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

60 1

0
- - - Rider 2

-1

g -2
-3
2,

$4

40
-5

40 4

40 -7

0 46 0 46 90 136 180 226 270 316 366

90 135 180 226 270 316 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

Fig. 6. Average handlebar force profiles for seated climbing

(84 RPM pedalling rate. 6% grade, 7.2 ms-’ speed).

The results for cycling Case B confirmed only some

of the qualitative observations made from the load
profile plots in Figs 4-9. From the figures, the average 1 I I I I
maximum of the tangential pedal force PFx, the t I
average minima of the seat forces SFz and SFy, and
I
the average of the seat moment SMy were all related - Rider 4
I I I I

with apparent consistency to weight when only the

three riders were considered. However, when the data 0 45 so 135 180 225 276 316 360

from the remaining two riders were included in the
regression, a statistically significant relation was not
apparent.
Only a few computed quantities exhibited con-
sistent significant linear relations for the three cycling
cases. One quantity which missed this category by the
smallest of margins was the average maximum magni-
tude of the normal pedal force PFz. For both the
seated cruising and standing cases. this relation was
significant and was marginally not significant only for
the seated climbing case. While either significance or
near significance was apparent from all three cycling
cases, the values of the slopes emphasize that weight
effects were case dependent. The absolute slope of the
standing case was more than twice that of either of the
seated cases (which had similar slopes), thus indicating
a more profound influence of rider weight on max-
imum magnitude normal pedal forces in standing than
seated.
Because instantaneous power during the down-
stroke is dictated primarily by the normal pedal force
Crank Angie (deg)
Fig. 7. Average handlebar moment profiles for seated ciim-
bing (84 RPM pedalling rate. 6% grade. 7.2 m s ’ speed).
(Bolourchi and Hull, 1988), it is not surprising that the
average maximum power also was related significantly to
weight. Here, however, the relation was significant in
all three cycling cases with the largest p-value for the
slope being 0.009. Not only was the average maximum
value significantly related, but also the mean power
was significantly related. The significant relation for
mean power follows from Newton’s laws (Pavish,
1988).
Restricting attention to the seated cases, quantities
associated with additional load components were
related consistently and significantly to rider weight.
These quantities included the average maximum value
of the handlebar force HFx and the average minimum
value of the seat force SFx.

BM 28:4-B
372 C. Stone and M. L. Hull

-160 4
0 45 SO 13.5 160 226 270 315 360 0 45 SO 136 180 225 270 315 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

60

40 -RiderI -- ---*

4 - - -Rider2
80
- Rider4
-60 4

0 46 SO 135 160 226 270 316 360 0 46 90 135 160 226 270 316 360

Crank Angle (deg) Crank Angle (deg)

0 Fig. 9. Average seatpost moment profiles for seated climbing

(84 RPM pedalling rate. 6% grade, 7.2 m s- ’ speed).
-60

-160 SW

8 700
N -266
666
El
-260
z 666
JO0
',466
-
I I I I I L
-360 s 366
11 II 1
0 I
r 266
I
400
I I
0 45 so 135 190 225 270 316 360 B loo
P
Crank Angle (deg) 0
I I I
Fig. 8. Average seatpost force profiles for seated climbing r I
(84 RPM pedalling rate, 6% grade, 7.2 m s- 1 speed). 0 45 so 136 160 226 270 316 360

Crank Angle (deg)

Fig. 10. Average instantaneous power output profiles for

During standing cycling, maximum magnitudes of
two pedal force components, PFy and PFz, were
significantly related and the maximum magnitude of
the third force component, PFx, was only marginally
not significantly related. The relationship mentioned
earlier between the negative of PFx and PMy ac-
counts for the significant relation observed for PMy.
DISCUSSION
To aid in the design analysis of bicycle
and/or structural components, the hypothesis
in this study was that peak rider-induced loads
be related to rider weight for the three typical
seated climbing (84 RPM pedalling rate, 6% grade, 7.2 m s- ’
speed).
cases investigated. If this hypothesis were shown to be
true, then load magnitudes could be obtained simply
by scaling according to a rider’s weight. Because
frames accommodate an extensive range of rider
weights, knowledge of maximum rider-induced load
magnitudes is important so that frame designs can be
optimized for minimum weight and adequate struc-
frames tural reliability.
tested The need to test the hypothesis stemmed from
would differences in pedalling mechanics among individuals.
cycling While a linear relation between average power and
 Effect of rider weight 373

Table 3. Regression results for the averaged load and power output quantities against rider weight for
seated cruising, seated climbing, and standing climbing. (Case A: 97 RPM, 4% grade, speed
= 10.3 ms-i: Case B: 84 RPM, 6% grade, speed = 7.2 ms-t; Case C: 83 RPM, 8% grade, speed
= 6.3 mss’.)

Regression
coefficients p-values

Averaged
Case Load type quantity Slope Intercept Slope Intercept R2

A PFz Mean Value - 0.31 24.8 0.022 0.066 0.864

PFz Avg Min Value - 0.65 31.9 0.010 0.720 0.920
HFx Avg Max Value 0.10 44.8 0.004 0.015 0.954
SFx Avg Min Value - 0.39 124.3 0.034 0.204 0.822
SFY Avg Min Value - 0.11 22.4 0.009 0.193 0.926
Power Mean Value 0.28 - 12.5 0.008 0.725 0.93 I
Power Avg Max Value 1.09 - 19.7 0.009 0.890 0.925
B PFz* Mean Value - 0.26 - 7.3 0.079 0.927 0.697
PFz* Avg Min Value - 0.62 - 4.7 0.05 1 0.976 0.770
HFx Avg Max Value 0.12 - 55.3 0.039 0.106 0.805
HMx Avg Min Value - 0.01 2.2 0.029 0.113 0.837
SFx Avg Min Value - 0.12 3.0 0.046 0.915 0.785
Power Mean Value - 0.32 73.7 0.050 0.395 0.770
Power Avg Max Value 0.27 - 5.2 0.009 0.882 0.925
C PFY Mean Value - 0.12 57.4 0.012 0.037 0.910
PFz Mean Value - 0.35 - 49.8 0.001 0.084 0.982
PFx* Avg Max Value 0.68 - 301.5 0.05 1 0.150 0.768
PFY Avg Min Value - 0.41 199.0 0.022 0.06 I 0.865
PFz Avg Min Value - 1.45 184.5 0.005 0.29 1 0.947
PMY Avg Min Value - 0.01 6.0 0.037 0.138 0.81 I
Power Mean Value 0.33 - 28.0 0.009 0.537 0.924
Power Avg Max Value 1.63 - 241.3 0.005 0.230 0.948

*Does not meet the criteria for rejecting the null hypothesis.

rider weight can be derived from Newton’s laws, linear
relations cannot be derived for any other attribute of
either the power or the rider-induced loads. For
example, in the case of the maximum power, it is
possible for the average and the maximum to vary
independently depending on pedalling mechanics.
This follows because the average power Pis related to
the instantaneous power P through the equation
where Bc is the crank angle. Since the P(0,) function
depends on pedalling mechanics, there will be a direct
relation between P,,, and p only if there is sufficient
similarity in the P(0,) functions among subjects. In-
deed, the intersubject maximum power has been
shown to vary independently of the average power for
different shoe/pedal connections (Davis and Hull,
1981a). This was strictly a result of changes in muscu-
lar coordination. Because intrasubject differences in
coordination have been documented as mentioned in
the Introduction, it was necessary to formulate and
test the hypothesis that attributes of both rider-
induced loads and instantaneous power were linearly
related to rider weight.
To test the hypothesis for cycling cases which
included both the seated and standing positions, it was
important that the equipment yielded loading meas-
urements representative of actual cycling in these
positions. Consequently, a large motorized treadmill
was selected as the vehicle for the tests. The treadmill
enabled cycling in the standing position without lat-
eral restraint so that leaning of the bicycle, which has
been shown to be an important characteristic of
standing cycling (Hull et al., 1990), could occur. The
treadmill also reproduced the equivalent inertia asso-
ciated with all three cycling cases. Equivalent inertia is
potentially an important factor influencing rider-in-
duced loads although no study has yet investigated
this factor.
The results of the regression analyses undertaken to
test the hypothesis revealed that only 19 of a possible
153 load/power quantities met the criterion for rejec-
ting the null hypothesis at a significance level of 0.05
(Table 3). Thus, the set of loads to which rider weight
scaling could be applied potentially is small. One
possible reason for not observing more significant
linear relations is the variability introduced by the
different pedalling mechanics of the subjects. While a
larger sample size may have reduced the error mean
square thus increasing the number of significant linear
relations detected, as will be discussed shortly the
sample size used enabled the detection of the most
important linear relation for bicycle design purposes.
Accordingly, once this relation was detected, the need
to increase the sample size was obviated. In addition,
nonlinear relations between rider weight and the
 useful for alternative geometries, it would he necessar)
to perform stress analyses of any alternatives using
4symmetr~ in ioading rna~ aIs0 coniplicate lhe procedures similar to Hull and Bolourchi ( (9X8)
relation hcthveen rider urigh: i~ni.l I he peal values of
load components nlcasul,ed .tt Ihi‘ rider c:rrtalt point>
on only one bide ~1’ the hlcyclt: .Isymmetry in pedal
loads has beeu well ~!ocume~;tLmd(2.g. rhly uld Cacan-
agh. 1976) an<1 pre\umahl) asymmetry icould he ap- 1. Significant linear relations between rider weight
parent in handlebar loads as wcii Perhaps a larger and 19 of a possible 153 averaged load/power output
number of significant relations would exist if both the quantities were found. Relations of the average min-
right and left side loads on the pedals and seat were imum value (maximum magnitude) of the normal
measured simultaneously and then resolved about a pedal force PFz and the average maximum value
single point in the plane of itic frarrlc neat the rider (maximum magnitude) of the power output were
contact point,. In thlz niann(7 the ettcL?s ofasymmetrq present for (virtually) all three test cases. Relations of
would be eliminated and the fuli resultant load com- the average maximum value of the handlebar force
ponents couid be r~aluated for \ignrficant relations to HFx and the average minimum value of the seat force
rider weight. Note that this would not he a simple task SFx were found for both seated cycling cases.
owing to the instrumentation reyulrements. 2. The results of this study appear useful for per-
Although the number ofquantities exhibiting signi- forming a fatigue failure analysis of conventional
ficant linear relations to rider wclght wab limited, the bicycle frames subject to rider induced loads. Of all the
results ma) still bc us&ii to dcsipn analq,sis. To rider induced loads, the normal pedal force PFz
appreciate this usefulness, it Is lirst necessary to under- dominates the stress at the bottom bracket, the region
stand the importance of sprc~hc loads in dictating most prone to fatigue failure. Since the maximum
frame stresses. Load impclrtance lo frame stress for magnitude of the normal pedal force related strongly
seated cycling was explored through finite element with rider weight, this relation can be used to advant-
analysis (Bolouchl and Hull. 15x8). The (maximum age in performing stress analyses of bicycle frames
magnitude) normal pedal force PIa/ dominated the designed to accommodate different weight riders.
alternating stress at the bottom bracket, the most
likely region for fatigue fai!ruc. Although only stresses
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