Rolling Resistance Measurements on Cycleways Using an Instrumented Bicycle

Abstract

Snow and ice on roads often lead to increased rolling resistance that makes roads less accessible and less attractive for cyclists. Introducing a minimum requirement for rolling resistance in winter maintenance of cycleways may increase the attractiveness of winter cycling. To control the rolling resistance level, an objective measurement method is needed. This article presents a new method for measuring rolling resistance for cyclists by using an instrumented bicycle. The new method utilizes measurements of pedaling power and resistive forces from gravitation, acceleration, and air drag to estimate the rolling resistance. Test results show that the method can measure the coefficient of rolling resistance, Crr, with a precision, represented as the standard error of the mean, between ±0.005 (1 Hz, n = 9) and ±0.001 (1 Hz, n = 220). The accuracy of the method was verified in a test with known rolling resistance and the results yielded a mean accuracy of 96.5%.