To what extent does body height affect the use and satisfaction of electrically-assisted bicycles for postal purpose?

Abstract

To investigate to what extent body height affects the use and satisfaction of electrically-assisted bicycles (EB) among postal workers, 1115 EB users filled in a questionnaire and 28 postal workers were observed during their distribution round. We aimed to provide a framework to estimate the possible effects of providing multiple frame sizes to postal workers. Although the body height of postal workers affected how they reached for mail and delivered it, it hardly affected their satisfaction with the current EB. Accessibility of the front carrier seemed to be the main issue that could be coped with by providing different frames. Ironically, postal workers for whom the front carrier was most accessible (tallest group) reported the highest physical load. The relevance of these results with respect to the availability of multiple frame sizes and other changes to the EB that might be beneficial from an ergonomic point of view is discussed.