Experimental assessment of the effect of cyclist’s posture on comfort during time-trial events on road cycling

During cycling, road irregularities are transmitted to the rider through the bicycle in terms of vibrations. The contact areas between the bicycle and the cyclist are the buttocks, hands, and feet, and in the cases in which aerobars are used, the elbows. The relevance of the quantification of vibrations transmitted to cyclists lies in their relationship with comfort (Doria, 2020) and potential health risks. The effect of vibrations on human activities depends on their magnitudes and the time of exposure. For this reason, in this study, the magnitudes of vibrations transmitted to cyclists while riding in different postures were quantified and the time of exposure to such vibrations during cycling was analyzed. This work presents the results obtained from implementing a pilot methodology to assess the effect of the change of cyclists’ posture on the vibrations’ transmission. The posture variation was performed by modifying the aerobars height considering a time-trial cycling scenario. The magnitudes of vibrations transmitted through the seat post and steering tube were quantified in terms of vibration total values. In addition, an analysis of the implications of the time of exposure to vibrations in cycling was performed based on thresholds of exposure increasing health risks.

Five recreational cyclists voluntarily participated in the tests after signing an informed consent form (mass: 73.8±11.8 kg, height: 1.75±0.06 m, age: 35±7 years). The riders used their own bicycles and standard cycling clothes. The tests were performed on aerobars postures varying the height of the elbow pads using spacers on the steering tube or the aerobars support. The height was set to the maximum (ABhigh) and minimum (ABlow) allowed by each bicycle settings.