An automatic transmission for bicycles: a simulation

A new design of an automatic transmission for bicycles was simulated. A sensitivity analysis found most environmental and bicycle variables had little effect but cycling velocity was very important while pedal rpm and gradient of the ground had some effect. The new design transmission therefore emph...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published inInternational journal of industrial ergonomics Vol. 33; no. 2; pp. 123 - 132
Main Authors Chien, Huai-Ching, Tseng, Ching-Huan
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Elsevier B.V 01.02.2004
Subjects
Automatic transmission
Bicycles
Cycling cadence
Human-generated power
Learning
Optimal gear ratio
Learning
Automatic transmission
Human-generated power
Cycling cadence
Optimal gear ratio
Bicycles
Online AccessGet full text

Cover

More Information
Summary:A new design of an automatic transmission for bicycles was simulated. A sensitivity analysis found most environmental and bicycle variables had little effect but cycling velocity was very important while pedal rpm and gradient of the ground had some effect. The new design transmission therefore emphasizes velocity, pedal rpm and gradient of the ground when selecting the optimum gear ratios. Since the comfortable pedal rpm differs from cyclist to cyclist, this new automatic transmission continuously measures the pedal rpm and calculates an average to efficiently learn the cycling habit of different cyclists. Recently, the multi-speed bicycles have become the main product of the bicycle market. However, some automatic gear-shifting systems are designed without a comprehensive ergonomic study.
ISSN:0169-8141
1872-8219
DOI:10.1016/j.ergon.2003.09.002