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Riderless bike graphic Minute Physics Wren Weichman.pngVideo: how do bikes stay up?
"Perhaps more incredible than humans riding bicycles is the fact that bicycles can ride themselves".
Once set in motion, a bike can stay upright and, if knocked from one side, will steer itself so the wheel once again ends up under the centre of mass, allowing it to continue in the new direction.
But how does it happen?
As this illuminating video, by Minute Physics, explains, with a lone bicycle eerily heading off across a field by itself, it's down to three main mechanisms, which are all related to the bike's ability to steer and right itself, given enough momentum.
Although this helps explain the mechanics behind Bradley Wiggins' self parking bike, the exact combinations of variables which work to make the bicycle stay upright on its own still aren't known to science, leaving a tantalising degree of mystery. Enjoy!
Latest Comments
- David9694 3 min 44 sec ago
In terms of the BTL comments, the racism seems so far to have trumped any anti-cycling ...
- chrisonatrike 1 sec ago
(Beware virtual safaris...) Hmm... if I wanted to get to the station there, what mode would I use? Is there one that it seems to be especially...
- Lozcan 13 min 5 sec ago
State of the roads round here, the only choice. So much flooding I got waterproof trousers and socks !!
- hawkinspeter 17 min 18 sec ago
Yeah, a separate coach park would make sense, but would it cause issues with loading up the coach after a match? I could imagine it taking longer...
- David9694 28 min 21 sec ago
bravely filming cyclists navigating a car dominated world
- fenix 44 min 9 sec ago
But this was a brand new bike. How could forks have abraded ? I've had CF forks for years and never had any issues or abrasion.
- Bob L 1 hour 47 min ago
So I live in clevedon. On occasion I talk to people from places other than clevedon. None of them laugh at me for infrastructure changes. I...
- 60kg lean keen climbing machine 2 hours 16 min ago
Why are we having this discusion? It is just not going to happen, it is totally unworkable, we have talked about children, what about MTB riders,...
- IanEdward 3 hours 2 min ago
I built up the rim brake equivalent frameset with existing Ultegra drivetrain and Fulcrum Racing 3 wheels, just under 7.8kg with pedals so...
- jyfortin 5 hours 16 min ago
It's a Replica Pro from 2000/2001, not a Penta Pro which came in 2002 and which had slightly different rear stays and fork. The wheelset is from a...
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3 comments
Here is an article on the same subject from Physics Today 1970
http://www.phys.lsu.edu/faculty/gonzalez/Teaching/Phys7221/vol59no9p51_5...
who would have thunk?
good stuff
So, if I want to make my bike less twitchy I need to tie a bag of sugar to the front of the front rack (that it doesn't have), is that right?