I'm considering getting a BikeErg. I have questions about the force curve on the PM5 on the bike erg; What does the force curve look like? A sine wave, perhaps. I display my rower force curve when I row to keep my stroke consistent and prevent lapsing into bad habits. Could I do the same thing with the bike erg force curve to improve my cycling efficiency? Since cycling is a continuous motion, rather than intermittent like the rower, does the force curve move across the screen or just change constantly?
Thanks!
BikeErg Force Curve
BikeErg Force Curve
Mark Underwood. Rower first, cyclist too.
Re: BikeErg Force Curve
I cannot answer most of your questions because I don't use a BikeErg. One question I can answer is how the force curve should look like. For a cyclic motion, the equivalent to force is torque. There is no zero torque while pedalling because even at the 12hr and 6hr position a cyclist produces torque. So the 'force' curve should look like a positive wave with two maxima for every rotation. I have taken the graph below from a paper from J.C. Quintana-Duque et al. in Int. J. Computer Science in Sports, 2015. Pedalling speed 60 rpm. Stationary bike, not a BikeErg.