The maximum allowable handlebar disturbance: an indicator for the ex-ante evaluation of cycling fall prevention interventions

Marco M. Reijne; Frans C. T. van der Helm; Arend L. Schwab

doi:10.55329/posh4189

Authors

Marco M. Reijne Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4476-4139
Frans C. T. van der Helm Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands https://orcid.org/0009-0005-9675-3203
Arend L. Schwab Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5897-9790

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55329/posh4189

Keywords:

cycling safety, ex-ante evaluation, fall-prevention

Abstract

Falls due to disturbances are a common cause of serious cycling injuries, yet evaluation approaches to systematically evaluate interventions aimed at improving balance recovery are lacking. Current ex-post evaluations are hindered by sparse crash data, and existing ex-ante approaches often lack generalizability or rely on surrogate measures that are not validated against fall risk. This study introduces the Maximum Allowable Handlebar Disturbance (MAHD), a novel performance indicator that quantifies the largest handlebar disturbance a cyclist can recover from without falling. The MAHD captures the cyclist's resilience to disturbances and provides a direct, interpretable measure of intervention effectiveness. We propose two methods for determining MAHD: (1) controlled treadmill experiments with induced handlebar disturbances and safe fall conditions and (2) simulations using bicycle dynamics and cyclist control models. Together, these methods allow quantitative ex-ante evaluation and systematic comparison of interventions targeting cyclist control, bicycle design, and infrastructure features such as curbs and road shoulders. With further validation, the MAHD offers practical value for researchers, engineers, and policymakers seeking to design safer bicycles, training programs, and road environments and improve evidencebased resource allocation. In the future, this could reduce fall-related cycling injuries.

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Author Biographies

Marco M. Reijne, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

Marco M. Reijne is a PhD candidate at the Department of Biomechanical Engineering, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands, and the focus of his thesis is cyclist fall prevention.

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Formal analysis, Investigation, Methodology, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing.

Frans C. T. van der Helm, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

Prof. dr. Frans C. T. van der Helm is professor in Biomechatronics and Human-Machine Interaction, at Delft University of Technology, and also adjunct-professor at the University of Twente, at Northwestern University in Chicago, and Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. He has a MSc in Human Movement Science (1985), and a PhD in Mechanical Engineering (1991). He is one of programme leaders in the Medical Delta, the collaboration between Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC), Erasmus Medical Center Rotterdam and TU Delft. In 2012 he received an ERC advanced grant for a research project ‘4D EEG’, improving temporal and spatial resolution of EEG source localization. In 2012 Prof. van der Helm was awarded the Simon Stevin Meester prize, the most prestigious award for technical scientific research in the Netherlands. He has published over 200 papers in international journals on topics as biomechanics of the upper and lower extremity, neuromuscular control, eye biomechanics, pelvic floor biomechanics, human motion control, posture stability, etc.

CRediT contribution: Funding acquisition, Supervision, Writing—review & editing.

Arend L. Schwab, Delft University of Technology, the Netherlands

Arend L. Schwab is an associate professor in applied mechanics at Delft University of Technology in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. He is interested in multibody dynamics, in particular, contact phenomena such as collisions and rolling (nonholonomic constraints). His interests also include the dynamics of flexible multibody systems, finite element methods, legged locomotion, and bicycle dynamics. His degrees are from Dordrecht (BSc. 1979) and Delft (MSc. 1983, PhD. 2002).

CRediT contribution: Conceptualization, Investigation, Methodology, Supervision, Writing—review & editing.

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