Motor Transfer and Proactive Interference in Cycling With a Noncircular Chainring

Athletes must transfer their performance when changing equipment due to innovative developments in sports technology. This kind of transfer has received only moderate attention. The aim of this study was to examine whether a mechanical change in sports equipment disturbs an athlete's performance and affects biomechanical and neurophysiological parameters. Therefore, an experiment was conducted in which 36 participants in three groups pedaled at 70 rounds per minute on a cycling ergometer with a circular and a noncircular (NC) chainring. The dependent variables were the total variability of the cadence, torque effectiveness, and muscle cocontraction (electromyographic cocontraction) of four antagonistic acting muscle pairs. Data were recorded during an acquisition phase, a transfer phase, and a retention phase. The results revealed that practice on a circular chainring induces a positive transfer on the NC chainring for total variability without a proactive interference effect. Torque effectiveness did not change within or between groups during the acquisition, transfer, and retention phases. Torque effectiveness and electromyographic cocontraction were not affected when the chainrings were altered from Day 1 to Day 2. During the retention phase, electromyographic cocontraction was higher when using the NC chainring, but the difference was small in absolute terms. The results regarding transfer and proactive interference seem to be strongly dependent on the movement task and the change in sports equipment. Transfer from the circular to NC chainring indicates refined neuromuscular control and improved movement coordination.