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Think it's as easy as easy as riding a bike?

MikeH

Diamond Level Sponsor
A group had a bike like that at the Daytona Turkey Run Car Show in Daytona Beach a few years ago when I was there. You won something (don’t remember what) if you could ride it for a set distance. I tried a few times. I never felt so uncoordinated in my life. It really does mess you up.
 

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Glad to see the impact of steering on balance. I have long posited that gyroscopic forces of bicycle wheels cannot be great enough to keep a rider upright. Never won that argument, mostly because elementary physics says it is true.

Bill
 

MikeH

Diamond Level Sponsor
Yes, but once you get up to speed you can ride and steer with no hands.
I think the steering is used on the initial start in order to maintain balance.
 
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Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Yes, but once you get up to speed you can ride and steer with no hands.
I think the steering is used on the initial start in order to maintain balance.
Perfect example of steering supplying balance. Notice that when riding with no hands, the rider is almost continuously shifting his weight back and forth with the bikes steering geometry responding with steering and keeping him upright.

Bill
 

Barry

Diamond Level Sponsor
A bicycle certainly has no appreciable gyroscopic effect at slow speed and I seriously doubt the effect even at high speed. At 5 MPH, the wheels / tires (700c32) on my bike are only rotating about once per second. IMO, there is just not enough rotational velocity or rotating mass to create any useful level of gyroscopic stabilization.
 

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
A bicycle certainly has no appreciable gyroscopic effect at slow speed and I seriously doubt the effect even at high speed. At 5 MPH, the wheels / tires (700c32) on my bike are only rotating about once per second. IMO, there is just not enough rotational velocity or rotating mass to create any useful level of gyroscopic stabilization.
That was my argument, only to be answered with "it's obviously enough to do the job".
Bill
 

husky drvr

Platinum Level Sponsor
A bicycle certainly has no appreciable gyroscopic effect at slow speed and I seriously doubt the effect even at high speed. At 5 MPH, the wheels / tires (700c32) on my bike are only rotating about once per second. IMO, there is just not enough rotational velocity or rotating mass to create any useful level of gyroscopic stabilization.

That was my argument, only to be answered with "it's obviously enough to do the job".
Bill

Barry and Bill,

You both need to go back and rewatch post #4's video again and pay particular attention to everything AFTER the 4:45 time mark.

Also, keep in mind that riding a bike is ultimately a combined system of bike and rider. Either can operate to some degree without the other, but together the system IS better than the sum of the parts.
 

Barry

Diamond Level Sponsor
As Galileo discovered, discussions that revolve (pun intended) around belief versus science seldom end well.

If anyone is interested in discussing the science, please send a PM.
 

Bill Blue

Platinum Level Sponsor
Bill, if that is the way you took my comment, that surely was not my intent.
No, this was in response to Barry's comment about gyroscopic forces, especially at low speed. No challenge intended to anyone. Sorry 'bout that.
Bill
 
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