Study Objectives
Develop a system to characterize the effect of transmitted road vibration in road bikes
- Quantify vibration response
- Rider performance
Demonstrate the ability of the test method
- Tested three different bicycle frames
Variables of interest
- Independent
- Bicycle frame material
- Dependent
- Vibration response of the frame
- Cyclist performance
Ok, so what did they do?
They developed a system.. YES.
Vibration.. Maybe
Rider Performance.. Null Results
They did use 3 different frames.. YES
Demonstrate Frame Material Differences... Not really. 1000 frames available, and they chose 3, with 1 in each category.
Some vibration response (of the 3 frames tested).
Cyclist Performance... Null
For testing a frame, a periodic bump on a treadmill may be good. However, that doesn't mean that it is the same as road vibration on rider performance, and thus one might not expect a significant or meaningful result.
So, they did develop a test. But the applicability is minimal, and certainly the results aren't generalizable.
And they failed to answer comfort or performance which is where the money is.