Originally Posted by
schnee
From all the quantitative and qualitative customer testing that I've participated in, it isn't so simple. People's perception of sensations isn't very accurate - for example, if they're holding objects of different weight in each hand, they need a 5-7% difference to perceive anything.
Just as a person from the general public isn't plopped in the seat of a test car from a auto manufacturer, you wouldn't drop joe-blow on some bike to test. You'd use a rider who could accurately detect small changes. These people exist. I'm not saying I'm one of them, but there are guys, specifically ones who are trained this way, who can discern 5 psi in tire pressure and/or other subtle changes. He may or may not be a pro racer. That certainly wouldn't be a requirement.
If you're trained to pick out different sounds and feelings, they are not all that tough to notice.