Additional notes about the simulation

This section contains some theoretical issues regarding the simulation. If you have doubts interpreting something you may find useful information here, besides the basic terms section.

Coordinate systems
Linkage has two modes regarding coordinates. This depends on the option “Horizontal Mode” in the project window.
When Horizontal mode is inactive, a fixed coordinate system is used, which is defined by the initial positions of the wheel axles and the direction perpendicular to it. Horizontal mode switched on means a moving coordinate system that is transformed for every displayed image, to the direction given by the actual wheel contact points with the ground.
In both cases the coordinate system origin is the reference point, which is a freely selectable point of the project.

Pedal-kickback calculation
It's measured as the difference between the current and the zero-travel crank angles.
The value shows the crank rotation relative to the main frame.
The pedal-kickback values are shown positive counter-clockwise, since this what you really feel as "kickback".
Generally you should only classify a bike as low/middle/high pedal-kickback, as it also depends on the gear ratio, and how much you're "glued" to the bike frame or have more flexible feet.
Interestingly you can use pedal kickback in a reverse way to accelerate your bike a bit by pushing it down hard, so this pumping generates some wheel rotation at the back.
Also see this pdf document about the topic here.


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