I confess that I don’t have much of a ‘science brain’ so the wonderful world of physics has never been a strong point of mine but given my passion for cycling, I’ve always been a bit curious about how you stay upright on a bicycle.
In the past I’ve often explained to riders who are nervous about going around corners faster they feel is possible is that there are centrifugal forces that will stop them from toppling over. In doing a little research this is certainly one of the factors but there is actually quite a bit more to it.
Given my lack of physics nous, I’m not even going to attempt to explain how centrifugal force works but here’s a great explanation of centrifugal and centripetal force that will help explain.
Instead, I’d prefer to paraphrase another great article I found online by a guy called Hugh Hunt published by The Conversation that explains the role of our brain in keeping us upright on a bike. For those who read this blog regularly, you’ll know that I’m fascinated by brain science but I’m no neuroscientist so for a full explanation read this longer explanation.
It was once thought a thing called the gyroscopic effect was what kept a bike upright but Hugh Hunt says that it isn’t the case. The gyroscopic effect occurs…
