Development of a powermeter for a bicycle – I

More than just being a mode of transportation, bicycling has caught on as a competitive sport in many parts of the world and as an exercise regimen by a sizeable fraction of the global population. These developments, in hand with advancements in STEM, have led to the research and development of many bicycle accessories that aid with the monitoring or tracking of one’s performance. One such advanced bicycle accessory is the power meter, which measures cadence and power. It equips the user to have a real-time analysis of his/her performance by keeping track of certain core parameters. The issue with most power meters in the market is the affordability factor, which restricts usage of the power meter to a very small income group. This project, which is a continuation of previous work, aims to not only make power meters affordable for all but also improve its accuracy and reliability. The existing prototype is made up of a total of 20 biaxial strain gauges, 10 of the strain gauges are mounted on each of the 10 fingers on each side of the spider crank. It is tested under a wide array of conditions and any discrepancies are corrected for, resulting in the ability of the power meter to function accurately in a range of settings. Following the testing, improvements are made to the existing design and a new prototype is fabricated for testing.Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering