Bicycle Ride Simulation Calculator

Bicycle Ride Simulation Calculator

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How to Use

Select your bicycle type and adjust the values in the Parameters, Drivetrain, Wheels, and Conditions sections. The calculator will compute speed, power, power-to-weight ratio, and calorie consumption. These values are displayed in blocks on either side of the bike in the simulator.

The simulator mimics the behavior of a real bicycle. The sizes of rims, tires, chainrings, and the RPM of wheels and cranks – as well as distance traveled – are animated according to real-world values.

For example, if you select a 584 mm rim, 57 mm tire width, a 32T front chainring, a 15T rear cog, and a cadence of 70, the compressed tire circumference (assuming a 10% compression under the rider’s weight) would be:

(57 * 2 * 0.9 + 584) * 3.1415 / 1000 = 2.157 m.

Wheel RPM = 32 / 15 * 70 / 60 = 2.49 rotations per second.

To cover 10 meters (distance between two lines in the animation), the wheel would rotate 4.6 times (10 / 2.157) and take 1.86 seconds (10 / (2.157 * 2.49)).

How the Ride Simulation Calculator Works

Parameters

• Bicycle Type. You can choose from six types: cross-country, road, gravel, fat bike, urban, and triathlon/time trial. When a type is selected, several fields (rim diameter, tire width, drivetrain losses, frontal area, drag coefficient) are automatically filled with typical average values for that type, and the info output blocks are recalculated.
• Cadence – the number of full crank revolutions per minute. A typical recommended cadence range is 80-100 rpm. In the output block, if your cadence exceeds 120, it’s highlighted in yellow (as it’s hard to maintain under load), above 150 – orange, and 180 – red.
• Rider Weight affects power requirements on climbs and descents, and thus impacts power-to-weight ratio (W/kg) and calorie burn. Heavier weight also increases rolling resistance power losses. A rough estimate: each additional 10 kg adds 1-4 watts depending on tires, surface, and component efficiency.
• Bicycle Weight also affects power calculations on slopes. It’s recommended to include gear weight here for more accurate power-to-weight calculations.
• FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the maximum power you can sustain for one hour. Exceeding this leads to lactate buildup in muscles, eventually requiring you to ease off. In the calculator, power values exceeding FTP are highlighted in yellow.

Drivetrain

Enter the number of teeth (T) for the selected front chainring and rear cog in the corresponding fields.

Wheels

• Rim Diameter. The calculator supports four common diameters ranging from 559 to 622 mm.
• Tire Width. The dropdown menu will auto-fill with suitable values depending on the selected bicycle type.

Use this wheel size calculator to convert between standards and learn how to measure your rim and wheel diameter.

Conditions

• Road Gradient is expressed in percent, as seen on road signs, and means elevation change per 100 meters. For example, +5% means a 5 m rise over 100 m; -12% means a 12 m drop. A green line in the output visually represents this slope.
• Headwind Speed is entered in m/s. Positive values indicate headwind; negative – tailwind.
• Total Losses refer to all power losses while riding. The greatest is usually rolling resistance. Other losses include hubs, bottom bracket, pedals, chain – especially when poorly maintained.
• Frontal Area can be calculated using a front-facing photo in Photoshop. As a guide: upright position – 0.65-0.8 m², high – 0.6-0.7 m², low – 0.5-0.65 m², aero – 0.35-0.5 m².
• Drag Coefficient (Cx) measures aerodynamic efficiency. The lower the value, the better. Typical values range from 0.7-1.1. For time trials, it can be as low as 0.6.

Information Output Blocks

The left block displays:

1. Speed in km/h and m/s (based on cadence, gear ratio, and wheel size)
2. Cadence again, highlighted if excessive
3. Wheel size in ETRTO standard
4. Selected gear
5. Gear ratio

The right block shows:

1. Estimated power required to maintain the selected parameters. Values exceeding FTP are highlighted in yellow; over 1000 W – orange (sprint-level power); over 2000 W – red (human limit).
2. Power-to-weight ratio (W/kg)
3. Calorie expenditure
4. Headwind speed, repeated
5. Gradient percentage and its visual representation

If you have any questions, feedback, or suggestions about the bicycle ride simulation calculator, feel free to leave a comment.