DELFT, the Netherlands - For nearly 150 years, scientists have been
puzzled by the bicycle. How on earth is it possible that a moving
bicycle can, all by itself, be so stable? Researchers of the Delft
University of Technology (TU Delft), working with colleagues from
Cornell University and the University of Nottingham, UK, believe they
have now found the ultimate model of the bicycle. The researchers
discuss their findings in the new edition of Delft Outlook, the science
magazine of TU Delft.

“Bicycle manufacturers have never been able to say precisely how a
bicycle works”, explains Dr Arend Schwab of the Delft Faculty of
Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE). “They have always
had to refine their designs purely through experimentation. In our
model, they can enter into the computer all of the various factors that
influence the stability and handling of their bicycle. The model then
calculates how the bicycle will react at specific speeds.” The model has
recently been published in the science magazine Proceedings of the Royal
Society, Series A.

Jittery bicycle
Because the model has the ability to indicate whether a design will
deliver a jittery bicycle, or indeed a stable one for seniors, the
bicycle industry is highly interested in the findings. The head of
product development at the Dutch bicycle manufacturing company Batavus,
Rob van Regenmortel, is following the research being conducted by Arend
Schwab and his fellow researcher Jodi Kooijman very closely.

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