Power output measurement during treadmill cycling

The study aim was to consider the use of a motorised treadmill as a cycling ergometry system by assessing predicted and recorded power output values during treadmill cycling. Fourteen male cyclists completed repeated cycling trials on a motorised treadmill whilst riding their own bicycle fitted with a mobile ergometer. The speed, gradient and loading via an external pulley system were recorded during 20-s constant speed trials and used to estimate power output with an assumption about the contribution of rolling resistance. These values were then compared with mobile ergometer measurements. To assess the reliability of measured power output values, four repeated trials were conducted on each cyclist. During level cycling, the recorded power output was 257.2 +/- 99.3 W compared to the predicted power output of 258.2 +/- 99.9 W (p > 0.05). For graded cycling, there was no significant difference between measured and predicted power output, 268.8 +/- 109.8 W vs. 270.1 +/- 111.7 W, p > 0.05, SEE 1.2 %. The coefficient of variation for mobile ergometer power output measurements during repeated trials ranged from 1.5 % (95 % CI 1.2 - 2.0 %) to 1.8 % (95 % CI 1.5 - 2.4 %). These results indicate that treadmill cycling can be used as an ergometry system to assess power output in cyclists with acceptable accuracy.