We are looking forward to another great year! We wish all our readers joy, happiness and many great rides in 2019. See you on the road! —The BQ and Compass/Rene Herse team Photo credit: Ryan Francesconi
Jan, does the same reasoning hold true for suspension losses generated by the rider? An example might be climbing a steep gradient while in the standing position. The variability of force exerted during the pedal stroke by the rider is causing the hysteresis. Suspension losses might be low to minimal in such an instance? Another example might be during the early part of a sprint. Thanks. Eli
Suspension losses probably depend on the rider. I can imagine that a rider who pedals hard has different (lower?) suspension losses than a rider who coasts. After all, you feel the discomfort of vibrations differently, and the U.S. Army study showed that discomfort equals energy loss.
As you mention, a rider who’s out of the saddle doesn’t vibrate as much. I never thought about whether this reduces suspension losses. It would be hard to test, as we can’t measure the suspension losses directly, and riding out of the saddle also increases wind resistance… but it would be interesting to compare power output at the same speed both sitting and standing, on the rumble strips and on the smooth pavement next to the rumble strips. With those four measurements, we should be able to get an idea.
January 3, 2019 at 4:53 am
Oreste Drapaca
Happy New Year to all at Compass Cycles, Bicycle Quarterly, and Off the Beaten Path !
Comments (3)
Jan, does the same reasoning hold true for suspension losses generated by the rider? An example might be climbing a steep gradient while in the standing position. The variability of force exerted during the pedal stroke by the rider is causing the hysteresis. Suspension losses might be low to minimal in such an instance? Another example might be during the early part of a sprint. Thanks. Eli
Suspension losses probably depend on the rider. I can imagine that a rider who pedals hard has different (lower?) suspension losses than a rider who coasts. After all, you feel the discomfort of vibrations differently, and the U.S. Army study showed that discomfort equals energy loss.
As you mention, a rider who’s out of the saddle doesn’t vibrate as much. I never thought about whether this reduces suspension losses. It would be hard to test, as we can’t measure the suspension losses directly, and riding out of the saddle also increases wind resistance… but it would be interesting to compare power output at the same speed both sitting and standing, on the rumble strips and on the smooth pavement next to the rumble strips. With those four measurements, we should be able to get an idea.
Happy New Year to all at Compass Cycles, Bicycle Quarterly, and Off the Beaten Path !
Comments are closed.