The practice effect of novel bicycle through a straight and narrow path on coordination and stability in movements

Mastering the skills to ride a bicycle enables the transfer of those skills to other types of bicycles. However, the learning process involved in transferring cycling skills to a different kind of bicycle remains unclear. This study investigated the coordination and stability in movements and gaze behaviours related to cycling skill improvement on a novel type of bicycle that the participants had never experienced before. Nineteen participants practiced cycling with a BMX on a straight and narrow path for 20 trials daily for two days. We calculated the deviation rate from the path as an indicator of cycling skill. Body and bicycle movements were measured using motion sensors, while eye positions were measured using a mobile eye-tracking device. These indicators were compared before and after practice. The deviation rate decreased with practice. Between before and after practice, the cross-correlation coefficient between the steering and frame roll angles increased, these angles' standard deviations decreased. However, gaze direction, the stability of gaze behaviour, and the characteristics of periodic eye movements did not significantly change. The results suggest that practice with a novel bicycle involves progression through the stages of coordination and stabilisation of steering and frame roll.