Re: counter-steering, with numbers

[palmer@sfu.ca (Leigh Palmer)]

> 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.

That's the way he mounted it. I'm thinking about your see-saw problem.
It is certainly relevant, but it is different from the bicycle. It would
be more similar if the bicycle had a larger lateral separation between
its pedals. Balancing on a see-saw with a small moment of inertia and a
frictionless pivot with your feet close together (as on a bicycle) would
be similar. The best bicycles are those with the lowest mass and the
smallest moments of inertia about their ground contact axis. A lighter
bike is no more difficult to ride than a heavier one, but it is harder
to balance on when standing still. It would be practically impossible
to do so with the headset clamped; wheel turning plays an important role
in balancing as anyone who has ever ridden on a velodrome or seen races
will know. Perhaps it would be possible on a heavy bike, just as it is
easier to balance on a heavy see-saw.

Balancing upright on a bicycle is difficult; it is a feat not easily
learned, and the mechanism is very different from that governing the
balancing of a moving bicycle. I maintain that "shifting of weight",
which is no doubt accomplished through reactions to forces exerted on
the pedals and saddle, involving the longitudinal rotational inertia
of the bicycle itself about the ground, can be used to balance a
stationary bicycle (no, not an exercise bike). On the other hand it
is utterly unnecessary when riding on rollers, and unnecessary when
turning a bicycle. I dare you to ride rollers (where aerodynamic
forces play no role) with a clamped headset. Aerodynamic forces are
very important at speed, by the way. Anyone addicted as I am to
riding fast downhill "no hands" with arms outstreched will tell you
what a difference it makes. I think that the gyroscopic moment of the
front wheel plays a more important role in doing that, too. Violent
oscillations can grow in this activity. Don't do it unless you are
very cautious.

Leigh