SCIENCE CHINA

Technological Sciences
Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2011 tech.scichina.com www.springerlink.com

*Corresponding author (email: xinjunliu@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn)
RESEARCH PAPER
November 2011 Vol.54 No.11: 30273034
doi: 10.1007/s11431-011-4575-x
Analysis and optimum design of rider-bicycle mechanisms:
Design of bicycle parameters for a specified rider
LIU XinJun
*
, WANG Jing, YU WeiYang & WU JinHua
State Key Laboratory of Tribology and Institute of Manufacturing Engineering, Department of Precision Instruments and Mechanology,
Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Received April 22, 2011; accepted July 27, 2011; published online September 19, 2011

Optimum design of rider-bicycle mechanisms is very important for customizing bicycles and plays a crucial role in the im-
provement of athletes performances and in protection of the riders. Since the birth of the first bicycle, people have been keep-
ing optimizing bicycles with respect to physical conditions of human. In modern design, the basic structure of a bicycle has
been formulized, while many geographic parameters remain uncertain. In this paper, the bicycle and the human body are con-
sidered as a kinematic mechanism, called rider-bicycle mechanism. The optimum design is implemented from the perspective
of mechanism. Effort-saving and comfortableness are considered at the same time. The corresponding performance charts are
drawn and the relationship between the performances and parameters of seat height, crank length and body parameters are dis-
cussed. By using these charts, the optimal design method of bicycles parameters for a specified person is then founded. Opti-
mum solutions to get suitable seat height and crank length for a person are obtained accordingly. The research is of signifi-
cance for customizing bicycles and design of bicycle robot.
optimum design, rider-bicycle mechanism, performance index, performance chart

Citation: Liu X J, Wang J, Yu W Y, et al. Analysis and optimum design of rider-bicycle mechanisms: Design of bicycle parameters for a specified rider. Sci
China Tech Sci, 2011, 54: 30273034, doi: 10.1007/s11431-011-4575-x



1 Introduction
Since bicycles were invented, they have been playing a cru-
cial role in peoples life. Thus, people have been keeping
optimizing bicycles from then on. They have found that a
suitable bicycle requires less force and can help increase
velocity, while an unsuitable bicycle does the opposite.
Therefore, riding a made to measure bicycle can help im-
prove performance data dramatically for lovers of bicycle.
In a riding process, the thighs provide force as driving legs,
the shanks transfer the force to the cranks in a swing form,
and the rotations of the cranks cause the rotation of rear
wheel, which drives the bicycle forward. Since the thigh is
the force provider, its comfortableness and the tiredness
have a great influece on the riders peformances. Therefore,
many scholars have been studying the optimum design of
bicycles and most of them focused on the bicycles
compatibility to humans physical structure.
At present, many scholars and institutions have under-
taken the research of personalized bicycle design and got
some achievements. By programming and plotting, some
scholars used empirical formulas to design, for examples,
Deng and Zhang [1] designed bicycles by using the ergo-
nomics principle combined with the human body size data-
base, bicycle national standard database and bicycle expe-
rience database. Using self-organizing-data excavat-
ing-algorithm, Zhang [2] from Beijing University of Tech-
nology analyzed 210 riders and their bicycles data, then
proposed an empirical formula describing the relationship

3028 Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11
of the two, based on which the design was implemented.
Mclean and Parker [3] from Australia used statistical meth-
ods to analyze the data of bicycle athletics from their coun-
try and drew the conclusion that the seat height should be
equal to cross height. Also, some people used empirical
formulas to design bicycles with respect to comfortableness.
For instance, Henri et al. [4] made experiments to measure
the influence of the bicycle frame parameters on riders
comfortable levels. They developed a system for
commercial bicycle selection by comparing and analysing
the relationship between human physical parameters and the
riding comfortableness of experimented riders. Sharp [5]
from University of Surrey optimized several bicycles pa-
rameters including the diameter of wheels to improve the
stability of riding and the ability for riders to control a bicy-
cle. Some companies also developed software to collect the
customers status and riding habits, aiming to design made
to measure bicycles for customers. For example, Seven
Company made customers forms, which paid more atten-
tion to riders comfortableness. Customers can choose pa-
rameters of frame such as the diameters of wheels. Based on
feedback data and special requirements, Seven Company
designed suitable bicycles for customers [6]. Furthermore,
through the research of fatigue, some people have given a
different way for designing. For example, Wu [7] from
Tianjin University suggested that the muscles fatigue
should be measured by the sum of squares of the muscles
stresses. To minimize the fatigue, Wu used the method of
linear regression and kinematics simulation to build up a
function between variables of frame design and optimal
index. Then Wu improved the frame through finite element
analysis (FEA) to get the final design of the minimal fatigue.
Sun [8] from Beijing Sport University studied the influence
of different seat heights on athletics legs muscle and legs
active skills by videoing athletics performance through the
method of sampling. To minimize the discharge capacity of
muscles (saving energy), Sun drew a conclusion that on the
condition that the legs length is 95% of the seat height, the
discharge capacity of muscle is of a medium level, which
suits for most athletics [8] .
To sum up, the research on bicycle design is mainly fo-
cusing on riders physical conditions. Actually, in the riding
process, a riders thigh and shank, the seat height and crank
of a bicycle compose a kinematic mechanism, which should
meet the kinematic principle of mechanism. Therefore, to
design bicycles according to kinematical theory and riders
physical conditions is valuable to be researched. In this pa-
per, the thigh, shank, seat height, crank and some other parts
of a bicycle are mechanized and secondary parts like the
adjustment of ankles are neglected. Then a mechanism
model with double cranks and rockers is made. With respect
to parameters of human physical sizes and fatigue of the
thighs, the correlation between force and fatigue can be
calculated and ideal bicycles suitable for different statues of
people can be made. This paper will provide a solid theo-
retical foundation for athlete selection, bicycle manufac-
tures and design of bicycle robots.
2 Analysis of the rider-bicycle mechanism
Figure 1 shows the sketch of a rider and a bicycle. The cor-
responding rider-bicycle mechanism is illustrated in Figure
2, in which the buttock is fixed to the seat and is connected
to the thigh through the hip, the thigh is linked to the shank
by the knee, and the shank is connected to the foot through
the ankle, then the feet is attached to the crank. All the con-
nections are considered as revolute pairs, and the thigh and
crank are considered as bars. Then a double crank-rocker
mechanism is generated. In such a mechanism, the thigh
works as the driver and the seat height as frame. Here, the
thigh, shank, crank and the seat height are denoted as L
1
, L
2
,
L
3
and L
4
, respectively.
The model shown in Figure 2 is a 4-bar mechanism
composed of L
1
, L
2
, L
3
and L
4
. Restricted by physical condi-
tions, the lengths of the bars should follow

4 1 2 3
. L L L L > > > (1)
Meanwhile, the condition for L
3
to rotate 360 is

1 2 3 4
. L L L L + > + (2)
The angle between L
1
and L
4
is denoted as hips angle
and the angle between L
1
and L
2
is defined as knees angle.
Hips and knees angles are zero when thigh and shank are
vertical, and are negative in clockwise direction and
positive in counterclockwise direction. As to the model, the
hip-joint angle is the included angle between L
1
and L
4
, the
included angle between L
1
and L
2
is the knee-joint angle.
Due to the restriction of physiological conditions [9], all the
ranges of motion (ROM) are shown in Table 1.
As is shown in Figure 2, a coordinate system O-XY is lo-
cated at the crankshaft center with the Y-axis being along
OA. All the angles are defined in Figure 2:
1
is the angle
between L
1
and the X-axis.
2
is the angle between L
2
and
the X-axis.
3
is the angle between L
3
and the X-axis. And

Figure 1 Bicycle riding sketch.
Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11 3029

Figure 2 The rider-bicycle mechanism, a double-crank-and-rocker
mechanism.
Table 1 Ranges of motion (ROM) of hip and knee
Joints ROM
Maximum
Angle ()
Maximum
range
Comfortable
adjustment range
()
Hip
forward, backward
bending
+120 15 135 +85 +100
Knee
forward, backward
swing
0 135 135 95 120

is the knee-joint angle. u is the included angle between L
2

and L
3
. If the transmission angle of the crank-rocker mech-
anism is denoted as , then =u when u is no larger than
t/2, otherwise =tu.
Because the mechanisms transmission angles are dif-
ferent for different poses and the transmission angle is
closely related to the capacity of transmitting force and the
comfortableness of human legs, there is a need to express
the transmission angles and knees angle with respect to the
pose, respectively. To make the calculation easier, we
define that
1
,
2
and
3
begin from the horizontal axis, and
are positive in clockwise direction and negative otherwise.
The three angles are all in the range of 180 +180.
Meanwhile, due to symmetry, only one side of the
transmission angle and the comfortableness angle can be
calculated. The sinusoidal expression of the transmission
angle and the comfortableness angle are

2 3
sin | sin( ) |, = (3)

2 1
sin | sin( ) | . = (4)
There is a certain output
3
to every certain input
1

since the mechanism is of a single degree of freedom.
In the coordinate system O-XY, the coordinates of point
C are denoted as

T
( ) , x y = c (5)
where
3 3
cos x L = and
3 3
cos . y L = The coordinates
of point B are denoted as b, i.e.,
( )
T
1 1 4 1 1
cos sin . = + L L L b (6)
The kinematical function of the double crank-and-rocker
mechanism should satisfy the following restriction:

2
, = L bc (7)
i.e.,
( ) ( )
2 2
2
1 1 4 1 1 2
cos sin , + + = L x L L y L (8)
Then, one has

1
1
2tan ( ),

= q (9)
in which
2 2 2
,
+ +
=

A N A B C
q
C B

1 4
2 ( ), = A L L y
1
2 , = B xL
2 2 2 2
1 4 2
( ) , = + + C L x L y L and 1. = N
N is valued 1 or 1. If the position of C is known, i.e., the
angle
3

is known, we can get the thighs angle
1

through
eq. (9). This is the so-called inverse solution of kinematics.
From eq. (9), we can know that there are two inverse solu-
tions. But restricted by humans physical conditions, point
B can only move forward. Therefore, only the solution with
N=+1 is correct.
Then, by using the inverse kinematic solution, one may
get the transmission angle and the comfortableness angle
when the mechanism configuration is given. Letting
( ) ( )
2 2
23 1 1 4 1 1
cos sin , = + + L L L L
one has

2 2 2
1 2 3 23
2 3
cos .
2
u

| | +
=
|
\ .
L L L
L L
(10)
Letting
( )
2
2
12 4
, = + L x L y
one has

2 2 2
1 2 1 12
2 1
cos .
2

| | +
=
|
\ .
L L L
L L
(11)
With regard to legs and cranks, in a riding process, there
is a situation that shank and crank are collinear. Such a situ-
ation is called the singularity, where the mechanism will get
stuck since the pressure angle is 90. Usually, there are two
types of singularities in a single crank-and-rocker mecha-
nism. One is the configuration when L
2
and L
3
are folded,
and the other one is the configuration when L
2
and L
3
are
3030 Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11
extended completely. Since the rider-bicycle mechanism is
a double crank-and-rocker mechanism with two cranks
connected rigidly. In the riding process, when one side of
the mechanism is in a singular configuration, the other one
can drive it forward. So the rider-bicycle mechanism is not
in a singular configuration at that time. Thus, each side of
the mechanism can pass the singularity easily without being
stuck since the singular configurations of the two cranks are
different.
3 Performance index and its chart
3.1 The design space
Under the analysis results mentioned above, a space includ-
ing all possible bicycle mechanisms can be established by
using the normalization method introduced in ref. [10]. The
space is called the design space. Firstly, the parameters
should be normalized. By introducing a factor D=(L
1
+L
2
+
L
3
+L
4
)/4, four non-dimensional parameters may be obtained
as



1 2 3 4
1 2 3 4 , , , . = = = =
L L L L
l l l l
D D D D

Meanwhile, they satisfy

1 2 3 4
4 l l l l + + + = (12)
and

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
: : : : : : . l l l l L L L L = (13)
From eqs. (1), (2) and (10), one may know

3 4 1 2
0 1 2 8 / 3. l l l l < < < < < + < (14)
A three dimensional space can be then defined with l
1
, l
2

and l
4
as the three vertical axes, as shown in Figure 3.
As is shown in Figure 3, the space includes all
non-dimensional rider-bicycle mechanisms. If the optimiza-
tion is with respect to a riders body, the proportion of thigh
and shank of the rider is fixed, i.e., L
1
:L
2
or l
1
: l
2
is constant.
If l
1
: l
2
=a, then a plane region may be obtained as the trian-
gle shown in Figure 4 by getting the intersection from the
plane and the tetrahedron in Figure 3. This region is the
planar parameter design space when the ratio of thigh and
shank is a. s and t are horizontal and vertical coordinates of
the design space, respectively.
The relationship between coordinates s and t and the
non-dimensional parameters are
1 2
2 2
1
1 1
= +
+ +
a
s l l
a a
(15)
and

4
. t l = (16)

Figure 3 The design space: tetrahedron.

Figure 4 The planar design space when l
1
:l
2
=a.
3.2 Performance index
Since the transmission angle and the comfortableness angle
work closely with the fatigue and comfortableness in a rid-
ers riding process, the force transmission performance and
the comfortableness of the mechanism are defined by eqs.
(3) and (4). Meanwhile, the definition and the performance
charts of the total force transmission performance and the
total comfortableness are shown as following.
3.2.1 Local transmission index and global transmission
index
The transmission angle influences directly the force trans-
mission performance of mechanism. Therefore, in order to
analyze mechanism performance, it is very important to
define a performance index with respect to the transmission
angle. Here, the local transmission index (LTI) denoted as
_
T
is defined by the transmission angle , i.e.,
sin , _ =
T
(17)
Since 0 90 , < <

0 1. _ < <
T

Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11 3031
The total transmission performance when crank makes
one revolution can be measured by the global transmission
index (GTI), which is defined as

3 3
3 3
d d ,

I _ =
| | T T
(18)
where
3
is defined as the output workspace, and
0 1. I < <
T
GTI reflects the global behavior of transmission
performance in the mechanisms workspace. When the GTI
value increases, the transmission performance in workspace
improves, then one can save more energy when riding.
3.2.2 Local strain index and global strain index
Besides transmission angle, riders comfortableness is
mainly dependent on the angle between thigh L
1
and shank
L
2
, which is shown in Figure 2. When ranges from 60 to
85, the rider feels comfortable [9]. And the comfortable-
ness can be evaluated by local strain index (LSI) defined as
sin . _ =
S
(19)
When =6085 i.e., _
S
=0.8660.996 the rider feels
more comfortable.
Similarly, the global strain index (GSI) is defined as

3 3
3 3
d d .

I _ =
| | S S
(20)
It is ideal if the value of GSI is between 0.866 (sin60)
and 0.996 (sin85).
3.3 Performance chart
The performance chart can illustrate the relationship be-
tween the performance of the mechanism and its related
indices in a planar space. Therefore, it is widely used in the
field of mechanical design. As to the subject this paper dis-
cusses, the performance chart can be drawn in a design
space similar to Figure 4. As mentioned earlier, if the seat
height and crank will be optimized with respect to one per-
sons condition, then in the optimization process, the pro-
portion of thigh and shank is fixed. According to body
measurements of national standards in China [4], the aver-
age thigh length L
1
of Chinese adults (1860) is 505 mm
and the shank length L
2
is 403 mm, so one may have
a=L
1
:L
2
=1.25. Then the planar design space whose ratio of
thigh and shank is 1.25 can be obtained by using the space
shown in Figure 1. Based on the definition of LTI, LSI and
relevant angles, the performance charts of GTI and GSI can
be plotted in the design space as shown in Figures 5 and 6.
From the two performance charts, one may draw some
conclusions of people whose ratio of his thigh and shank is
1.25 as following. (a) When the seat height L
4
is relatively
short, the force transmission performance and the comforta-
bleness of the mechanism are not good from the two charts.
So the higher the sear height, the better the force transmis

Figure 5 Performance chart of GTI.

Figure 6 Performance chart of GSI.
sion performance and the comfortableness. (b) From the
performance chart of GSI, although a very high seat height
can better the performance of the force transmission, it will
weaken the comfortableness of the mechanism, because
people feel comfortable only when GSI is around 0.866 to
0.996. Therefore, in general, if it is a short-distance ride, the
rider can choose a very high seat height, since it helps to
save energy and improves explosive force; if it is a long-
distance ride, the rider can lower the seat height appropri-
ately, since it helps to reduce the fatigue. For different com-
binations of the seat height and the crank, there may be the
same GTI. Moreover, under this circumstance, we need to
use GSI to choose an appropriate combination of the seat
height and the crank. Beside GTI and GSI, the design of
other parts of the bicycle can also affect the comfortable-
3032 Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11
ness, so they should be considered when designing a bicycle.
However, they are not the discussing content of this paper.
This paper considers only the indices that directly affect the
force transmission and the comfortableness of the mecha-
nism.
4 Optimum design method
As was analyzed in above sections, the specific steps of
designing bicycle parameters for a specific rider can be de-
scribed as follows: (a) measuring of the lengths of thigh L
1

and shank L
2
of the rider, then getting the ratio value a, i.e.,
a=L
1
:L
2
; (b) using the ratio a to transform the coordinates of
the dimensionless parameters l
1
, l
2
and l
4
, and getting a pla-
nar design space as Figure 3; (c) plotting the performance
charts GTI and GSI; (d) identifying the optimum region
with appropriate GTI and GSI values; (e) selecting a candi-
date from the optimum region, then the seat height and
crank length which fit the riders height to obtain comforta-
bleness.
As an application example of optimization, here the ratio
of thigh and shank, i.e., a=1.25 is assumed, and GTI>0.63
and GSI>0.96 are specified. The proper contours of GTI
and GSI and the design space are obtained by calculation,
so the dashed region shown in Figure 7 can be identified as
the optimum region.
From this region, select a point P(1.5619, 1.6121), whose
GTI value is 0.632, and whose GSI value is 0.99. According
to eqs. (15) and (16) and a=1.25, the corresponding
non-dimensional parameters of point P can be obtained as
l
1
=1.2429, l
2
=0.9943, l
3
=0.1507, and l
4
=1.6121. Then the
seat height and crank can be obtained with respect to the
lengths of thigh and shank. According to the body meas-


Figure 7 Optimum region (the dashed area) when GTI>0.63 and
GSI>0.96.
urements of national standards in China [4], thigh L
1
=500
mm and shank L
2
=400 mm are assumed, then the crank
L
3
=60.6 mm and the seat height L
4
=648.5 mm. So the seat
height and crank of bicycle which suit the rider are de-
signed.
5 Comparison
To find out the pros and cons of the optimum designs and to
certificate the charts, this paper chooses two points from the
charts to compare their effort of saving energy and com-
fortableness. Considering the scientific level and the con-
vincing of the comparison, the conditions of the two points
selected from the charts have to be the same. That is, (a) the
optimum design process has to focus on one person, so the
values of L
1
and L
2
of the two points are equal, then the
values of the ratio a a are the same. (b) The lengths of
cranks of the two points are equal, and then the drive tor-
ques are equal when the forces pointing to the crank are the
same. Moreover, in this way, the comparison process can
avoid the effect of different torques. (c) The GSI of the two
points are the same. The comfortableness affects the per-
formance of the athletes greatly, for example, though some
mechanism may enhance the explosive force of the athletes
riding, a bad comfortableness can easily accumulate the
fatigue of the athletes and make the race much harder to
keep on.
Based on the analysis above, we assume that the length
of the thigh is 500 mm, and the length of the shank is 400
mm (The value assumed here is not precisely from the hu-
man size, but is for the convenience of the computing pro-
cess. However, the assumption does not affect the compari-
son). The contours of GTI and GSI, and the curve of l
3
=kl
1

have to be drawn in one chart in order to ensure the crank
and the comfortableness of the two selected points are the
same. And k is any positive number less than one. The
curve of l
3
=kl
1
represents that the lengths of crank l
3
of dif-
ferent points are equal when the lengths of thigh l
1
are equal.
So the chart is shown in Figure 8.
The chart shown in Figure 8 is based on a=1.25, and
choose two points A(1.5286,1.6179) and B(1.6323,1.4470)
from it. Then the GTI of A is 0.6246, and its GSI is 0.96.
Meanwhile, the GTI of B is 0.623, and its GSI is also 0.96.
From eqs. (15) and (16), the non-dimensional lengths of
bars of A are (1.1936,0.9546,0.2336,1.6323), and the non-
dimensional lengths of bars of B are (1.2746, 1.0197,
0.2587, 1.4470). Then, based on L
1
=500 mm and L
2
=400
mm, the real lengths of bars of A are (500,400,100,684), and
the real lengths of bars of B are (500,400,100,568). These
two points satisfy the assumptions above. If the resistance
of the riding is stable, there are two methods for comparison.
One is to compute and analyze the force on the crank when
the bicycle moves straight and stably. Then compare the
overall force on the crank with a revolution of the crank.
Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11 3033

Figure 8 Comparison of two points (by using the curve of l
3
:l
1
=0.2 to
intercept the contour of GSI=0.96).
The other is to accumulate the distance that the bicycle goes
with a revolution of the crank. In the second method, if a
bicycle saves effort better, the rider expends more energy,
and the bicycle goes further, as compared to the other bicy-
cle when the rider puts the same force on the crank. Then
the better design of a bicycle can be obtained by comparing
the merit from the rider.
In order to simplify the comparison process, some basic
parameters of the bicycle-motion condition are assigned
here: the radius of the wheel is r=350 mm, and the quality
of the rider together with the bicycle is 80 kg , and the drag
force is 0.02 times the quality (empirical coefficient). Then
the drag force is
80 10 0.02 16(N), = = = F m g f (21)
And the resistance moment is
16 0.35 5.6(N m). = = = M F r (22)
So if there are no other factors to affect this motion, the
torque that the rider puts on the crank should be equal to the
resistance moment. Then the force on the crank is

3
5.6 56
(N),
sin 0.1sin sin
= = =
M
F
l
(23)
where is the angle contained by the crank and the shank,
that is, the transmission angle.
In the first method, the forces of the mechanisms of A
and B on the crank vary with the change of the transmission
angle. So when the crank L
3
rotates 360, the average forces
are 255(N) = A F and 267(N). = B F
Comparing A F

and , B F one gets . < A B F F It means
that mechanism A performs better than mechanism B in
effort saving. This is coincident with their GTI values com-
parison.
In the second method, if the force applied to the crank is
50 N, no matter which bicycle the rider rides, the energy the
rider expends with a revolution of the crank is the same.
However, the useful work of a different bicycle is not the
same. And the useful work can be calculated by

2
3 3
0
sin d . =
|
W Fl (24)
Since the rider-bicycle mechanism has one degree of
freedom, one
3

corresponds to one . So the transmission
angle

can be gotten from
3
. As to mechanism A, the use-
ful work with a revolution of the crank is

2
3
0
50 0.1sin d 19.5965(J). = =
|
W
With the resistance 5.6 N, the distance of the bicycles
movement is

22.6728
3.4994(m).
5.6
= = =
W
S
F

On the other hand, as to mechanism B, the useful work
with a revolution of the crank is

2
3
0
50 0.1sin d 19.5653(J).
t
= =
|
S
With the resistance 5.6 N, the distance of the bicycles
movement is

21.2926
3.4938(m).
5.6
= = =
W
S
F

From the above computation, mechanism A can do more
useful work with a revolution of the crank, when the force
on the crank is the same. That is, a bicycle based on mecha-
nism A can go further with the same condition. Therefore,
the result of optimum design from point A is better.
According to the two comparisons above, mechanism A
is better in effort-saving than mechanism B. Moreover, from
Figure 8, the GTI of A is 0.0016 more than that of B, so
mechanism A definitely saves more effort in theory. Then
the definition of the performance index, the performance
chart and the optimum design method are certified.
6 Conclusions
In this paper, the rider body structure (thigh and shank),
crank and seat heights of bicycles are mechanized. So a
double crank-and-rocker mechanism is obtained as the rid-
er-bicycle mechanism. To gain the end of made to meas-
ure bicycle, the optimum design method for choosing ap-
propriate parameters of the crank and the seat height ac-
cording to different riders is proposed from the view of
3034 Liu X J, et al. Sci China Tech Sci November (2011) Vol.54 No.11
mechanism principle. Based on the mechanism design and
the fatigue of human, this paper defines the indices of the
force transmission and the comfortableness. Then, by using
the design space, the optimum design is implemented con-
sidering two factors: energy saving and comfortableness.
Different from formers research, which are based on hu-
man physiology and statistics, this paper discusses and ana-
lyzes the issue by the principles of mechanism, and gets an
optimum design method for an energy-saving and comfort-
able bicycle. The result of the paper provides one solution
to design a bicycle according to the human body, and is
very useful for athlete selection, bicycle manufacturing, and
design of bicycle robots.
This work was supported in part by Tsinghua University Student Research
Training (Grant No. 102T0078) and the National Natural Science Founda-
tion of China (Grant Nos. 51075222 and 51135008).
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