Effect of the Rotor crank system on cycling performance

the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of a novelcrank system on laboratory time-trial cycling performance. therotor system makes each pedal independent from the other sothat the cranks are no longer fixed at 180°. twelve male competitivebut non-elite cyclists (mean ± s: 35 ± 7 yr, wmax = 363 ±38 w, vo2peak = 4.5 ± 0.3 l·min-1) completed 6-weeks of theirnormal training using either a conventional (con) or the novelrotor (rot) pedal system. all participants then completed two40.23-km time-trials on an air-braked ergometer, one usingcon and one using rot. mean performance speeds were notdifferent between trials (con = 41.7 km·h-1 vs. rot = 41.6km·h-1, p > 0.05). indeed, the pedal system used during thetime-trials had no impact on any of the measured variables(power output, cadence, heart rate, vo2, rer, gross efficiency).furthermore, the anova identified no significant interactioneffect between main effects (time-trial crank system*trainingcrank system, p > 0.05). to the authors’ knowledge, this is thefirst study to examine the effects of the rotor system on enduranceperformance rather than endurance capacity. these resultssuggest that the rotor system has no measurable impact ontime-trial performance. however, further studies should examinethe importance of the rotor ‘regulation point’ and the suggestionthat the rotor system has acute ergogenic effects if usedinfrequently.