No, that would not work…you are introducing forces not found in the normal cycling process.
Sounds complicated 
No matter if it turns out that locked-out matters or not. I am pretty sure we are talking small margins here. Small enough that precise measurements would be needed.
How about this:
Setup a full suspension XC bike with a set of powermeter pedals & a hub based powermeter.
Then do several “runs” with suspension both locked & unlocked. Shouldn’t we then be able to see if the relative power changes? See how much of the force at the pedals actually makes it way to the wheel?
That’s not much different than the original experiments done by Dylan and PT, just with a few less variables and possibly more accuracy. Both sides of the debate here would still expect the exact same result, that the power lost between crankset and the rear wheel is the same regardless of lockout or not. The experiment would not get us any closer to resolution.
Some measurements upstream of the power meter are still needed if we want to quantify any energy losses upstream of the crankset. For example gas exchange mask to measure the actual metabolic cost of pedaling or estimating the energy lost in the shock by measuring it’s temperature.
Nope, that wouldn’t show anything either. Because you are not measuring the power that is lost by you compressing your suspension.
If you wanted to accurately measure the energy loss, you would probably have to perform an experiment with the cyclist wearing a gas exchange mask. That way you can measure total energy output and compare that with the power that arrives at the crank or pedals or wheels (depending on where your power meter sits).
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That would be the gold standard I guess.
Too complicated for most, but certainly not for any research universities. Interesting that it hasn’t already been done and published, You would think that no matter which way the results goes, it would be of interest. I for one would love to know how much I would gain by keeping my suspension locked out. So I could weigh that against the discomfort it causes on longer stints.
I wonder why standing was slower…do you think it was simply aerodynamics?
Joe
Almost certainly.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aq4yliFHBO8
An interesting follow up on measuring power on a mountain bike.
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