Bicycle Usability Testing

1978 Raleigh Super Course vs. 2013 Giant Talon Zero 29er
Kyle M. Petersen

OFFROAD SPORT XC
FRAME

SIZES

S,M,L,XL

COLORS

SatinBlack/Red/White

FRAME

ALUXXGradeAluminum

FORK

RockShoxXC30w/Lockout,100mmTravel

SHOCK

N/A

TheTalon29erslightweight,responsiveALUXXaluminumframeisdesigned
withgeometrythatsoptimizedforits29inchwheels.Theselargerdiameterhoops
rolloverobstacleswithgreaterease,improveyourtraction,andhelpyoumaintain
momentumonanytrail.

COMPONENTS

HANDLEBAR

GiantConnectXC,31.8

STEM

GiantSport

SEATPOST

GiantConnect,30.9

SADDLE

GiantPerformanceMTB

PEDALS

MTBCaged,Alloy

DRIVETRAIN

SHIFTERS

SRAMX5,3x10Speed

FRONTDERAILLEUR

ShimanoDeoreLX

REARDERAILLEUR

SRAMX7

BRAKES

ShimanoM395,160mm

BRAKELEVERS

ShimanoM395

CASSETTE

SRAMPG103011x36,10Speed

CHAIN

KMCX10

CRANKSET

SRAMS800,22/33/44

BOTTOMBRACKET

SRAMPowerspline

KEYUPGRADES(OVERTALON29ER1)
l
l
l
l
l

RockShoxXC30withLockout100mmsuspensionfork
SRAMX.5triggershifterswith3x10speeddrivetrain
GiantConnecthandlebarandseatpost
Sizes:S,M,L,XL
Color:SatinBlack/Red/White

U.S.AverageRetailPrice:$1,125

Size

Part
number

Head
Angle

Seat
Angle

Top
Tube

Reach

Head
Tube

Stack

Chain
Stay

Wheel
Base

Standover
Height

Inches

Degree

Degree

Inches

Centim..

Inches

Centim..

Inches

Inches

Inches

S/16

30046614

70.5

73.0

22.5

N/A

4.3

N/A

17.6

41.9

28.4

M/18

30046615

70.5

72.5

23.5

N/A

4.5

N/A

17.6

42.6

29.5

L/20

30046616

70.5

72.0

24.2

N/A

4.7

N/A

17.6

43.2

30.4

XL/22

30046617

70.5

72.0

25.0

N/A

4.9

N/A

17.6

44.0

32.2

WHEELS

RIMS

GiantSXC292,DoubleWall

HUBS

Alloy,32h

SPOKES

StainlessSteel,14g

TIRES

SchwalbeRapidRob,29x2.1

Executive Summary
When researching bike options for any kind of use, it is useful to know how the bicycle
operates qualitatively and quantitatively. The following document outlines information
gathered from a usability study from two different bicycles; the first being a 1978 Raleigh
steel framed road bike, the second being a 2013 Giant aluminum framed mountain bike.
The testing criterion includes braking, shifting, handling, speed, bunny hopping, and
maintenance factors. When all these factors are combined and tallied, it becomes
apparent that the modern mountain bike is clearly a better bicycle. Although it is found
that the mountain bike is the better bike, the old road bike is much more cost effective for
initial investment purposes.

Methods
Physical testing took place
The testing was carried out using two primary scales for quality; the Likert scale that
ranges from 1 to 5 in quality, and timed scales. The Likert scale is scaled with 1 being the
best possible outcome, and 5 being the worst. This will coincide with timing scales used
for the speed and wheel swapping times; the smaller the time required for each, the better
the result.
The tests are as follows:
Braking
Measured via Likert scale
Relevant questions: Do the brakes stop motion quickly? Do the brakes stop
motion without skidding? Do the brakes stop bike completely without feet
needing to be placed on ground?
Shifting
Measured via Likert scale.
Relevant questions: How crisply do the gears shift? How easy is it to shift to
desired gear? Does the placement of shifters make logical sense?
Overall Handling
Measured via Likert scale
Relevant questions: How does the bike turn when going slowly? How does the
bike turn when going fast? Is the bike stable at all speeds?
Gravel Handling
Measured via Likert scale
Relevant questions: Does the bike stay stable even when sharp turns are
necessary? Does the bike skid out when pedaling?
Pavement Handling
Measured via Likert scale
Relevant questions: Can the bike round corners while maintaining speed? Can the
maintain speed on pavement surfaces?

Speed
Measured via Stop-watch
The course will be set around my personal residential block, including a section of
alleyway that is unpaved. The time will be recorded required to circle block.
Wheel Swapping
Measured via Stop-watch
Relevant questions: Do the wheels slide in and out of fittings easily? Are tools
required to remove and replace wheel?
Derailleur Adjustment
Measured via Likert scale
Relevant questions: Are tools required? Are the adjustment pieces intuitive in
their placement?
Brake Adjustment
Measured via Likert scale
Relevant Questions: Are tools required? Are the adjustment pieces intuitive in
their placement?
Bunny Hopping
Measured via Likert scale
1- Bike is easily hopped, 5- Bike could not leave ground.

Results
Qualitative Assessment
Braking
Raleigh: The Raleigh featured a side pull brake for the rear wheel, and a center
pull brake for the front wheel. Both brakes are operated via cable. Because of the worn
surface of the wheel, the brake pads have a hard time gripping, thus lowering the overall
braking ability. The elasticity of the cable also lead to lowered braking capability, this
occurs especially with longer cables, which allow for greater stretch.

Giant:!The!Giant!featured!hydraulic!disk!brakes!for!both!the!front!and!rear!
wheels.!These!brakes!worked!excellently.!They!worked!so!well!in!fact!that!skidding!
became!a!real!issue!when!attempted!to!stop!suddenly.!Small!technique!is!required!
to!avoid!skidding!on!surfaces.!!

Shifting
Raleigh: Featured friction shifting operated via cable. The shifters are placed at
the end of the handlebars and allow for moderate shifting ability. Exact position is
adjusted manually via shifters, and overall adjustment is adjusted via the screws
positioned on the derailleur itself. Not the most logical positioning for shifters

Giant: Featured index shifting operated via cable. Shifters are placed near the
brakes and are operated by thumb shifters; each shifter contains index shifting, which
means that for every click the operating gear is shifted up or down. Found to be very
intuitive positioning of shifters on handlebars, easy to operate.

Overall Handling
Raleigh: The Raleigh featured a shorter wheelbase than the Giant, which allowed
for a tighter turning radius. However, the tires and the handlebars were much narrower.
This results in somewhat unstable handling characteristics.
Giant: The Giant has 29-inch wheels as compared to the 27.5-inch wheels of the
Raleigh, which results in a larger wheelbase. This larger wheelbase means better stability
and handling, but giving it a smaller turning radius.
Gravel Handling
Raleigh: Did not perform well on gravel pathway, problem with loosing stability
constantly, and skidding and slipping were a major problem. The narrow tires of the bike
lead to weight being concentrated, allowing for deep penetration of the gravel surface.
Giant: Performed phenomenally well on gravel surface. This is most likely
because it was designed to operate on a rougher surface. The wide tires allowed for
greater weight distributions, allowing for the bike to roll more easily over the gravel
surface.
Road Handling
Raleigh: Worked best on smoothest surfaces, great ability to maintain high speeds
due to small surface area of the narrow tires. The smaller the surface area in contact with
the road, the lower the rolling friction. Also maintained very well around corners.
Giant: Difficult to maintain speed on straight stretches and corners. The large tires
slowed the bike due to large surface area of tire-road contact.
Speed- went around city block that residence is placed on. Contained roughly 60% paved
road and 40% paved alley. Time was recorded for each bike trial.
Raleigh: Performed well, more difficult to pick up speed, most likely due to old
bearings. Shifting caused lost time, because of shifting difficulty.
Giant: Fast acceleration and control, very responsive drivetrain and fast shifting.
The crisp shifting allowed for optimal acceleration.

Wheel Swapping
Raleigh:!Featured!hexagonal!nut!attached!to!frame,!required!use!of!
adjustable!wrench!to!remove!and!replace.!Tire!air!had!to!be!alleviated!to!get!tire!
past!brake!calipers.!!

Giant: Quick release mechanism combined with disc brakes allowed for
extremely easy removal, replacement, and adjustment of wheels.

Derailleur Adjustment (see section on shifting for visuals)- The Derailleur is the piece of
the bike that shifts gears on the rear gears.
Raleigh: Has three setscrews that allow for overall position adjustment, easy to
manage with correct tools.
Giant: In addition to two setscrews on the derailleur, there is an adjustment knob
on the shifter itself as well, that when operated correctly can fine-tune the overall
adjustment of the derailleur
Brake Adjustment
Raleigh: Because the brakes are cable operated, there is a great range of
adjustments and tunings that can be made. Although it is difficult to adjust, it gives the
ability to maximize braking ability.
Giant: Hydraulic brakes mean that instead of being operated via cable, the brakes
are operated by compressing a fluid through a hose. Because of its inherent design,
hydraulic disc brakes require little maintenance or fine adjustment. Although the brakes
are reliable, they do not have room for custom adjustment.
Bunny Hopping
Raleigh: The Raleigh did not leave the ground despite excessive trials and
modification of methods, but the inherent design of the bike made bunny hopping at my
skill level nearly impossible. Not a good bike for tricks.
Giant: The Giant is designed to be able to handle physically leave the ground and
land in a controlled way. The shocks also provided a nice boost for hopping the bike.
Quantitative results
Test Type
Braking
Shifting
Overall Handling
Gravel Handling
Road Handling
Derailleur Adjustment
Brake Adjustment
Bunny Hopping
Likert Sum
Speed
Wheel Swapping
Timed Sum
Total Investment ($)

Likert Score/Time (Raleigh)

4
4
3
5
2
3
3
5
29
01:46.39
07:50.16
09:36.55
Approx. $300

Likert Score/Time (Giant)

2
1
1
1
3
1
3
1
13
01:35.57
03:05.94
4:41:51
Approx. $900

Conclusion and Recommendation

As found in the quantitate side of the usability test, the 2013 Giant is clearly the better
choice of bike, primarily because of the newer components on the bike. The Likert scale
used to determine results ranges from 8-40, 8 being a perfect or ideal score, and 40 being
the worst possible score. The total Likert score of the Raleigh was 29/40, meaning that
the bike is medium in usability. The Giant scored 13/80, resulting in a high usability
score. The Giant also won on the time scales as well, resulting in a total time score of 4
minutes and 41 seconds, while the Raleigh had a score of 9 minutes 36 seconds. This was
largely due to the time lost during wheel swapping, which was complicated because of
the need for deflation of tires, and difficult of adjustment of the hexagonal nut and bolt
assembly. However, when the bikes are compared via an investment vs. Likert score, it
becomes apparent that by tripling investment, the Likert score decreases by 50%,
adjusted by the scale. This means that as your investment increases, so does the quality of
product, however it would be difficult to determine exact trends based on two data points.
The data purely recommends that if you are willing to pay for a newer bike for a quality
product, it is indeed worth the investment depending on the level of usability that is
desired.