Interesting video on bicycle steering

[Gillstay]

The speed wobble / tank slapper I found to be down to geometry mainly, from research we did on an old Norton 500 that used to chuck people off on a straight smooth road at about 60 mph. Turned out it had forks on from an earlier bike and the mix of era's meant the steering reacted badly, but usually the suspension was busy so it was changing. Given a set speed on a straight road and it violently shook the bars. If you banged the back brake on, the forks rose, the geometry changed and you were in with a chance. We upped the rake of the forks by 5mm and that cured it.
In the original video, in that scenario I would not have steered I would have just pressed down on the bars and still use the trick on cycles for missing a pot hole at the last minute. just a fast press on the bars one side or the other depending on circumstance.

 

[Twilkes]

I did laps on an outdoor track yesterday, lots of tightish left turns at speed, and almost all of the pressure onto the bars was on the left hand, I probably could have taken my right game off the bars altogether. Going into the turn there was a definite pressure, if not push, with the left hand, and going around the corner was a mix of this pressure and relieving of this pressure, I never consciously pulled on the bars. Any noticeable pressure with the right hand put me oddly off balance!

I looked at the front wheel while cornering and it never particular looked like it was facing right, it's not like a speedway motorbike. So it's all so subtle that you wouldn't really think about it unless you we're looking for it.

 

[Gillstay]

Funny thing is if you do a route with a big trail motorbike you steer with your hands, a racer with your upper mass, but a thirties Rudge or similar you do with your hips. literally the seat of your pants it feels when compared back to back.
Some cycles give you the same effect but less obvious as you don't have the weight and power involved.

 

[Dag Hammar]

I've often found a childish pleasure in looking at bicycle tyre tracks on a dry road after going through a puddle. It's clear to see that riding in a straight line is more accurately described as slightly weaving left and right.

Kind of falling slowly one way, correcting, falling the other way etc etc.

Our brains are amazing.

I’m going to put on my pedant’s hat now and mention something that has puzzled me for a long time.
I too was aware that generally speaking a bicycle does not, strictly speaking, travel in a straight line. It is a miniature weaving effect. I have a Cateye cycle computer on my handlebars that tells me the distance I have travelled based on me inputting an accurate measurement of one revolution of the wheel.
From A to B in a dead straight line it could be argued that the cycle computer has recorded the distance covered very accurately. But when riding I am ”weaving” slightly to the left and then to the right, albeit minimally, and thus my wheel is rotating and the magnet sensor is passing each rotation to the computer but I whilst I am “weaving” I am not making forward momentum.
What do you all think ? Maybe I should just get out more !

Apologies for the small print, I don’t think I have mastered the art of including a previous quote😀

 

[Dogtrousers]

Apologies for the small print, I don’t think I have mastered the art of including a previous quote😀

Edit your post and delete bit that says

and then re-insert it just before the start of your text.

 

[Dag Hammar]

Edit your post and delete bit that says View attachment 620888 and then re-insert it just before the start of your text.

Thanks, I have tried your tip but cannot succeed.