engineering and biomechanics in cycling
Biomechanical factors affecting driving speed
If you want to assess all aspects of performance to improve them you have to measure them first. Thanks to current microchips and the power of the smallest processors, measuring technology can be accommodated in pedals or sensors on the muscle or used for extremely high image transfer rates.
To assess an optimal seat position we break down the system into 'external' and 'internal' forces. Forces act directly on connected bodies and via a lever they generate positive or negative torques depending on their direction of action. If we follow the path of the individual bodies and formulate them as a function, we speak of Kinematics. The joints of the lower extremities observed using image tracking are of particular importance. The so-called 'range of motion' represents non-visible muscular activities. Its magnitude is the subjective effort exerted when pedaling, but its direction of effect depends on the position of the joint in relation to the pedal crank. Even the activation pattern of the individual muscles is determined by the seat position.