Moving the seat can change the
geometry and range of motion of muscles. How does this affect power?
Suppose the "seat height" is changed.
More precisely, suppose the position of the point of rotation
of the thigh at the hip, point d in Figure 1 below, is changed
by moving the saddle up or down, fore or aft. How does Power change?
This following 3D plot shows Power as "seat height"
is changed (point d is moved) over a broad range. From this 3D plot
it would seem that the maximum power is found at the maximum distance from
the center of the bottom bracket. In the 3D plot below hip position
ranges from 50 cm to 83 cm high and from 45 cm back to 20 cm forward. Values
for the Thigh and Shin Fit Points are held constant, but ranges of motion
for Thigh and Shin Strength Functions change, as they must, with changing
geometries.
In the following plot, power is plotted against the distance
from the point of rotation of the hips to the center of the bottom bracket
for feasible distances. This is, in effect, a slice from the 3D plot above.
It would appear that the further away from the bottom bracket, the better.
The curve may be different based on your data. (This takes a long
time to calculate.)
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