Re: counter-steering, with numbers

[jmclean@chem.ucsd.edu (James Mclean)]

Leigh Palmer says:
> > Being more the experimental than theoretical type, I suggest building
> > a front wheel assembly with an adjustable counter-rotating  component to
> > reduce, cancel, or reverse the gyroscopic effects and try riding.
> > This might reduce some of the arguments.
> > I'm afraid I am not prepared to construct the experiment at this time.
> > Sorry.
>
> That's OK. It has been done already. The results were published in
> Physics Today back in the seventies. Anyone have the reference handy?
>
> Oh, yes; the result was that the gyroscopic effect is unimportant to
> the perceived stability of the bicycle. Of course the bicycle is
> unstable to start with, but it remains quite *rideable* with a
> counterbalancing gyro on the front fork.

I haven't seen the article(s), but I thought (from discussions on this list)
that the counter-rotating component was mounted on the bicycle frame.  To
be applicable to this discussion, it would have to be mounted so that it
turned with the front wheel.

-- 
--James McLean
jmclean@chem.ucsd.edu
post doc
UCSD