Delft researchers unravel the working of the bicycle

Dr. Arend Schwab en ir. Jodi Kooijman investigate the behavior of a moving bicycle. Click here for more information.

For nearly 150 years, scientists have been baffled by the bicycle. How is it possible that a moving bicycle can, all by itself, be so stable" Researchers of the Delft University of Technology, working with colleagues from Cornell University and the University of Nottingham, UK, believe they have now found the ultimate model of the bicycle. The researchers discuss their findings in the new edition of Delft Outlook, the science magazine of TU Delft.

Dr. Arend Schwab en ir. Jodi Kooijman investigate the behavior of a moving bicycle. Click here for more information.

'Bicycle manufacturers have never been able to say precisely how a bicycle works', explains Dr Arend Schwab of the Faculty of Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineering (3mE). 'They have always had to refine their designs purely through experimentation. In our model, they can enter into the computer all of the various factors that influence the stability and handling of their bicycle. The model then calculates how the bicycle will react at specific speeds.' The model has recently been published in the science magazine Proceedings of the Royal Society, Series A.

Jittery bicycle