Meet the Team

Dr. Matthew Clontz

BRAVE Lab Director

Dr. Matthew Clontz comes from a research and industry background in automotives and vibrational analysis.  Upon arriving at Western Carolina University in 2023, Dr. Clontz found some ongoing work on the topic of mountain bike dynamics. Intrigued by the work, its regional significance, and the close relevance to his background, Dr. Clontz joined in on these projects. As the available resources and the body of projects expanded over the next two years, he realized the need for a more formalized research group within the College of Engineering and Technology at WCU. As a result, in fall 2025, Dr. Clontz established the Bicycle Research and Advanced Vibrations Engineering Lab. Currently, Dr. Clontz and his students (both graduate and undergraduate) are working on an array of projects in the subject areas of vibrational testing of mountain bikes, development of test stands, on-trail data collection systems, and more!

Current Lab Members

John Crain

John Crain is a senior in Mechanical Engineering. He began working with Dr. Clontz on one of the founding projects of BRAVE Lab in the fall of 2024. That work has continued and now John is a member of an interdisciplinary team working on an instrumentation and data collection system, as well as an associated algorithm to measure mountain bike trail profiles. Using his research experience as a launching point, John is planning to start a graduate program in the fall of 2026.