Assessment of bicycle experimental objective handling quality indicators

Understanding and mastering handling quality is a critical concern for bicycle designers, as it directly impacts safety, comfort, and performance. However, this aspect has received limited attention to date. Existing literature offers experimental handling quality indicators based on bicycle kinematics, but their validity has yet to be established. This study aims to assess the predictive power of these indicators using experimental data derived from subjective assessments of handling quality. These data, obtained from a protocol involving 20 participants and 2 bicycles, enabled testing 39 experimental indicators. The results indicate that certain vehicle kinematic quantities are indeed correlated with the perception of handling quality but with low predictive power. Indicators based on handlebar movement are the most effective in explaining the sensation of handling quality. These indicators perform particularly well at low speeds, where physical and cognitive workload are associated with the quantity of control actions on the handlebars.