3 ms·
It does seem possible for some bicycles to roll quite far without a rider before falling over. I suspect there's some sort of natural feedback mechanism related
by danbmil99 5y ago
It does seem possible for some bicycles to roll quite far without a rider before falling over. I suspect there's some sort of natural feedback mechanism related to the angle of the front fork and the positioning of the wheels with respect to the axis the handlebars rotate on.
I also suspect this is related to the fact that some bicycles are clearly easier to ride without touching the handlebars than others.
I agree that the gyroscopic effect is minimal at low speeds. Bicycle design may take it into account somewhat at high speeds, but clearly people can ride bicycles at low speeds with small wheels where the impact of the gyroscopic effect would be minimal.
Consider the case of a Razor scooter. I seriously doubt 4-inch Wheels have any significant gyroscopic effect on the ride.
- Cerium 5y agoBicycle stability is well studied. As long as the bicycle continues to travel above the critical speed and on a flat surface without obstruction, it will remain upright given it was constructed of a stable design.
- theWreckluse 5y agohttps://youtu.be/9cNmUNHSBac https://youtu.be/9cNmUNHSBac
- HPsquared 5y agoIt's... complicated and a bit counter-intuitive. Essentially, a bicycle is an inverted pendulum and the fork acts as a feedback mechanism. The fork geometry (caster angle) translates lateral force at the front wheel into steering inputs. Gyroscopic forces also contribute. These effects all act more strongly at higher speed. The fork must be free to move, or the feedback won't work. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_dynamics https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bicycle_and_motorcycle_dynamic...