Bicycle balancing turning unlearning basic physics and brain controls

[Opendro]

We have shared a lot of videos earlier. But I couldn't search them properly when I wanted. I searched again and I could find a few - some old and some new. Sharing a couple of important ones:

How to we balance a bicycle?

1. Turn the handlebar to the left to prevent from falling to the left
2. Turn the handlebar to the right to prevent from falling to the right
3. Turn the handlebar to the left to turn right
4. Turn the handlebar to the right to turn left

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQlLl_Fbpbg

First two points are very helpful for new learners. My second daughter learnt riding on two wheels (no-prior experience on training wheels) in a single day (a couple of hours in total) just by planting the first two rules into her head. She learnt when she was 4 years and 1 month old. No prior practice!

Last two points are very helpful to make a quicker and sharper turn.

Why do bikes self-balance (without a rider)?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZAc5t2lkvo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Y4mbT3ozcA

The above two videos will also answer why we cannot balance a bike with welded handlebar.

Can we unlearn riding a bicycle?

I know, it is like asking "how to forget my name"? But there is a way to do it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFzDaBzBlL0

It is not that the person has forgotten how to ride a regular bicycle. The program is still intact in his brain. A new, but conflicting, program tries to come to the foreground. The old program resists like hell. When he finally manages to push the old program to the background by forcing the new program to the foreground, he is unable to ride the regular bikes without some struggle. I believe that once we learn both the ways, we should be able to switch easily with frequent practice on both. Until then, it is in fact difficult. Forget such a different task, I used to slam my right foot on scooters that don't have foot pedal brakes, because I learnt on a male motorcycle first. But after a few days of using both, brain automatically switches the programs without any hiccup.

Please add any other interesting links on the balancing in this thread. I had seen more but unable to find them.

[santosh kumar]

points 3 and 4?? I am thinking if I have been doing it wrong!

Cheers
Santosh

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[Opendro]

No, you have been doing right unknowingly. But knowing it will help better. I will post some more links in a while.

Cheers
Santosh

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[Karthick Gururaj]

Have you heard what the Doc advised McQueen?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJHWve1QlU4

:)

- Karthick

[Opendro]

I got a better link to the counter steering : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PgUOOwnZcDU

I can also add the link to faster corners or tighter turns at higher speeds:

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/strength-training-3-steps-faster-corners-2011.html

https://www.wikihow.com/Countersteer-(Motorcycle)

Also applying a downward force on the arm on the turning side during the turn is very important from two points of view (in my opinion):

1. I helps in producing more lean of the wheel/bike for the same amount of handlebar turning. More lean means better natural turn by itself.
2. The hand (arm/elbow) on the turning side needs stronger muscle engagement to be in good control of the turn and this comes naturally with counter steering. People often turn with the elbow on the turning side almost tucked into the body (near stomach) and this gives very weak muscle engagement and won't be able to make quick correction in times of need such as surface slipper (sand/water) or averting a pothole on the turning curve path.

Simple way to check if you are making an efficient turning is to see if your elbow on the turning side is bent or straight. Most newbies, specially on motorcycles and scooters, will find their elbow on the turning side tucked into side of their belly. Check the wikihow above. The elbow on the turning side should be straighter and more engaged. This will automatically make the body and hip turn correctly towards the turning side.

[Opendro]

Hahaha... that was a good one. But the reasons for doing that in the car is different. The sequence is also different.

The reason is not for balance there. The reason is to stay in correct orientation or to prevent a total 360 degree spinning with its rear leaping ahead of the front wheel. The sequence is also different. To make a sharp left, one will make a sharp left first, in fact early before the curve. As the car once aligns with the left curve, turn to the right make the car move sideways towards right still retaining its alignment with the curve.

[Chidambaran Subramanian]

An alternate view is to not turn the handle bar but to put a subtle pressure in the direction in which yuo wish to turn.

The forces of angular momentum take over

Chiddu

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[Ali Poonawala]

Hi Open

This topic is close to my teaching heart !

I have been through these earlier and my grouse,  what is not addressed in these experiments, or taken for granted, is the rider !!

Now from my experience in teaching cycling, I classify newbie cyclists as lurchers and non lurchers. 

Lurchers try to correct a tilting bicycle by bending the spine and tilting hips too ( natural body reflex ) . It is not possible to correct by turning handle to side of tilt. They (lurchers) take considerable longer to learn to balance, basically, till they stop lurching !

Non lurchers are teacher's delight !

I had a lady, whose son and daughter ( Neha and Babloo ) we taught, was so good, she learnt balancing during first downhill run and she did the return uphill on her own..! She had never rode a cycle before.

I tell my students, sooner you trust your hands to balance than your body, faster you will crack it !

Ali Poonawala

[Prashanth Chengi]

Open also has experience of unicycling, so I wonder whether hands are really the key to balancing; balancing with the body is probably an expert level skill, as it might give you the ability to really use the subtle pressure Chiddu was refering to, in order to nail turns.

That said, I must say I just did not understand what Open means, when he writes about turning the handlebar left, to turn right, and vice-versa. I guess he means the pre-turn, which would allow one the ability to make a sharper final turn in the opposite direction, because otherwise, unless one has the fancy opposite turning bikes that featured on a ted-talk, turning and holding the bar to the left will indeed put you into a left turn!

/Prashanth

[Opendro]

Doc, I know what you go through trying to teach all kinds of people. One thing I can do to my daughter is to emphasize on any point I want and even shout if she does not listen :-p It is a different ball game altogether to teach the kind of students you teach. I had myself joined your sessions a couple of times and I was frustrated all the time LOL

You, Bimal and few other folks are doing an amazing job for the cause of cycling.

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[Ali Poonawala]

Well.... Thanks for the praise .. but seriously, when you see such variation in ability of students to execute what you teach them, the first question which arises in mind is : are you asking/teaching the right way ?

And the answers are not  easily forthcoming !

So...I am keen on improving our methodology and any inputs are welcome !

Ali

PS: check out this video

https://youtu.be/ljywO-B_yew

..He says countersteering comes into play only after speed of 10 miles/hr...

Less than that,he claims, steers it true !

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[Chidambaran Subramanian]

Dr Ali,

I now see what you mean by lurchers. I'm seeing one myself. The body moves like crazy at the 1st sign of imbalance, making it a night mare to ride.

[santosh kumar]

I now realise why riding a 4 wheeled ATV was much more difficult (at least in the beginning) than riding a regular two wheeler. 

The ATV wouldn't lean while cornering! While my body would prepare to lean with the ATV. More so, because the seating and steering controls superficially looks identical to a bike, but it is not.

Cheers
Santosh

[Ali Poonawala]

Hi Santosh !!

 Excellent experience , well narrated !