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My quest for comfort is finally over, or is it?

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My quest for comfort is finally over, or is it?

Old 08-20-19, 09:33 AM
  #26  
TimothyH
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Originally Posted by sweetspot
yes, but to be more exact it is an android app called Vibration meter and tubed tires are generally more comfortable but with small exepctions like 50mm tire run at 20 psi in the back. Another note is that based on comments I got here I will try to rerun those test but this time with my phone mounted on the handlebar and under saddle to see if the general conclusion will be the same.
With all due respect, the app does not measure comfort but vibration.

We can draw conclusions about whether any given vibration might be comfortable or not across a particular population of humans but the app does not measure comfort.


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Old 08-20-19, 09:39 AM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by sweetspot
Not an Iphone, an android one And do you asking about frequency of each measurement? I don't have an exact data but it measures changes many times per second and it measures vibrations constantly even for a longer periods of time (much more than I need to run my test route). So it is enough for my purposes.
Well you can't treat big jarring ones as if they're the same as tiny ones you can't feel, can you?
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Old 08-20-19, 10:11 AM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Spoonrobot
Accelerometers, especially in a phone form factor, are not robust enough to use for this kind of testing.
Not even close. This is junk science at best.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:10 AM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by shoota
Not even close. This is junk science at best.
I think it is time to chill out a little because things went too far. I never aspired to a real scientific measurements because those are near to immpossible in real life conditions and real life conditions it is what I am interested in. In lab you have a limited number of variables to control and in real life things change. So what if I will use a professional accelerometer and will measure vibrations on the frame or handlebar (and not on my body) when it is almost impossible to maintain exactly the same speed all the time or when temperature and / or humidity will change making for example ground more rugged so you will get different readings even when all other factors will stay the same.

I said before that for my purposes my current methodology is enough. It all started as a fun project and it will stay as a fun project that helps me evaluate the decrease of perceptable vibrations and by this find the bike parts or even whole bikes that will be more comfortable for me to ride. It is not a scientific project and if you look for one then I sincerely encourage you to do one. I will be very happy to see your results. And in the meantime let me do my fun project...

Last edited by sweetspot; 08-20-19 at 11:24 AM.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:34 AM
  #30  
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It's ok not to do absolutely robust, lab quality measurements. You just can't draw any conclusions from the measurements you have. That's all.
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Old 08-20-19, 11:53 AM
  #31  
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Ever thought about getting a pro fit? Center of gravity has a big effect on how the body absorbs shock and where.
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Old 08-20-19, 12:22 PM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
It's ok not to do absolutely robust, lab quality measurements. You just can't draw any conclusions from the measurements you have. That's all.
with this I can't fully agree (scientific yes but any.. no). Many professional bike reviewers draws conclusion about bike compliance based purely on a subjective feelings. I want do this too but back it up with some sort of data measurements. I agree that I can't say based on my methodology exactly how much less vibrations a particular bike part generates but I can say in general that data supports my subjective fellings or not. I can also agree that with things like tires with inner tubes vs tubeless (small differences) my methodology is probably not enough (and maybe I will not be testing such things in future or change the way of describing the results) but my methodology totally shows that for example shockstop stem really mitigates a significant amount of vibrations. And this is all I want to know...

Last edited by sweetspot; 08-20-19 at 01:35 PM.
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Old 08-20-19, 05:06 PM
  #33  
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Originally Posted by shoota
You're doing it wrong.


But on a serious note, you're doing it wrong. The vast majority of a bikes "suppleness" is derived from the tires. You should have stuck with your 43mm GKs and set them up tubeless. Tubeless is the key here, it makes such a huge difference it's not even funny. It's a plenty supple tire but if you're looking for even more supple (and less durable) then there are other options, like Compass tires.
The weirdest cockpit i have ever seen. Complete sorcery. I think you used dropbar extensions on a flat bar. But how did you manage the cabling? How did you connect the brake and shift cables to both controllers? I have used interrupter brakes before, but this is something very different here.
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Old 08-20-19, 05:08 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by Newspaper_Nick
The weirdest cockpit i have ever seen. Complete sorcery. I think you used dropbar extensions on a flat bar. But how did you manage the cabling? How did you connect the brake and shift cables to both controllers? I have used interrupter brakes before, but this is something very different here.
Bruh. You wouldn’t catch me dead riding that monstrosity. It isn’t mine lol.
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Old 08-21-19, 01:16 AM
  #35  
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How was it decided that comfort = lack of vibration?
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Old 08-21-19, 01:16 AM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
How was it decided that comfort = lack of vibration?
Reported.
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Old 08-21-19, 03:45 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by Seattle Forrest
How was it decided that comfort = lack of vibration?
no, it is not only lack of vibrations but for me this is a big component of a really comfortable ride (by vibration I mean rather big perceptable hits than small, high frequency vibrations that for example Spank Vibrocore handlebar is trying to fight with). that is why I do a lot of testing based on vibration measurements. But I also look for other things that makes a bike more comfortable to ride like pedals, handlebars or even gearing (you can read all about this on the benchmark bike section on my website).
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Old 08-21-19, 05:16 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by Phamilton
Ever thought about getting a pro fit? Center of gravity has a big effect on how the body absorbs shock and where.
For clarity, I’m asking from a place of inexperience, not experience. I subscribed to this thread a while ago, I’m curious as to how things will turn out for you.

I have been riding for about 2 years, mostly commuting. A lot of my riding has involved a 24 mile RT to and from work, 2 hours a day on a bike with relatively skinny tires (28-35mm) and no shock absorbing qualities other than a steel frame. I’ve never had a pro fit. The only time I had more discomfort than what would go away after being off the bike for a couple hours was when I first started riding and my fit was wildly off, like saddle nearly 1” too high. I’ve never had such discomfort that it was ever really very noticeable while riding.

You may have or haven’t had a fit, and I’m not sure if it’s relevant or even matters, but I’m curious one way or another and intrigued by your approach, so I’m gonna continue following the thread either way.
Best of luck. I feel fortunate that I don’t have great discomfort on the bike.
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Old 08-21-19, 06:06 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by sweetspot
I think it is time to chill out a little because things went too far. I never aspired to a real scientific measurements because those are near to immpossible in real life conditions and real life conditions it is what I am interested in. In lab you have a limited number of variables to control and in real life things change. So what if I will use a professional accelerometer and will measure vibrations on the frame or handlebar (and not on my body) when it is almost impossible to maintain exactly the same speed all the time or when temperature and / or humidity will change making for example ground more rugged so you will get different readings even when all other factors will stay the same.

I said before that for my purposes my current methodology is enough. It all started as a fun project and it will stay as a fun project that helps me evaluate the decrease of perceptable vibrations and by this find the bike parts or even whole bikes that will be more comfortable for me to ride. It is not a scientific project and if you look for one then I sincerely encourage you to do one. I will be very happy to see your results. And in the meantime let me do my fun project...
I think the disconnect started when OP began what appeared to be a comfort/tire thread without mentioning that it really is an unscientific fun but weird vibration reduction thread
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