Nicholas Houghton

Design for Human Variability

Dr. Parkinson
September 15, 2015
The following report details the desired recommendations for the required seat adjustability ranges for
new exercise bicycles in the student gyms. To arrive at these recommendations, two sets of data were
considered: stature data from a small sampling (the classes in which Dr. Parkinson has taken data) and
data from the age range of 20-29 in the 2007-2010 NHANES Anthropometric Reference Data for
Children and Adults: United States. Based on preferences for utilizing exercise bicycles, the seat height
was chosen to rest slightly above the trochonterion height, due to the user needing the ability to extend
their legs while pedaling and also to allow for a small margin above the ground where the petals rest in
their minimum height.
The first set of data analyzed was the classroom data obtained from Dr. Parkinson. In this data, the
trochonterion height was supplied for each of the participants (102 total). This data was then analyzed
to find the 5th and 95th percentile values. These values were determined to be 774.3mm and 974.8mm,
respectively. A similar analysis was performed on the NHANES data. However, proportionality constants
were utilized in analyzing the NHANES data because the direct trochonterion height was not supplied;
the mean and percentile values for the stature were given for the specific age ranges in both men and
women, which were then used to determine proportionality constants in attempts to determine a
trochonterion height. The proportionality constants used were a sum of three separate values:
trochonterion to lateral femoral epicondyle (24.2% of stature), lateral femoral epicondyle to lateral
malleolus (24.7% of stature) and lateral malleolus to floor (3.8% of stature), which gave a total
proportionality constant for trochonterion to floor as 52.7% of stature. The 5th and 95th percentile values
for male and female stature are as follows:

Stature [mm]
Trochonterion Ht. [mm]

5th % Woman
1520
801.0

95th % Woman
1751
922.8

5th % Man
1636
862.2

95th % Man
1883
992.3

From this data, we see that both the 5Th and 95th percentile values from the classroom data fit inside of
the 5th percentile women data, and the 95th percentile men data (these benchmarks were chosen
because they were the two extremes, and because we are assuming a 50:50 male/female population for
the target design group), and the values are similar enough in magnitude where they would not skew
the NHANES data in either direction. Therefore, we continue with the NHANES extreme values for this
analysis.
In typical exercise bike use, the leg is never completely extended while the user is sitting. Therefore, we
can assume that the total length from pedal to seat is not the full length of the trochonterion height. If
we assume that the total length from pedal to seat is 90% of the trochonterion height (due to the knee
still being slightly bent when the pedal is at its minimum height), the new extreme values become:
720.9mm and 893.1mm respectively. Allowing for a 75mm clearance from the pedal to the floorthis
alleviates the issue of the pedal coming into contact with the floor during use of the bikethe
cumulative floor to seat values become: 795.9mm and 968.1mm. This allows us to give the final
recommendations for the minimum seat height and the appropriate amount of adjustability of the seat
height: The minimum seat height should be 795.9mm with an adjustability of 172.2mm in order to
satisfy the inner 90% of the user base.