Why is balancing on a stationary bike so much more difficult than on a moving one?
In: 48
The wheels spinning while moving create a strong gyroscopic effect.
If your bike wheels come off easily, remove one, hold it out in front of you between your arms by the axle so it can spin freely and then spin it really fast. You’ll notice it’s hard to twist or tilt in a different orientation now that it’s spinning.
This is because it’s angular momentum is essentially a pretty strong force in a specific direction around the axle and if you have a strong force moving in a direction then you’ll also need a strong force to change that direction.
While your moving this force helps balance the bike and if you move fast enough you can even take your hands of the handle bars because the angular moment will not only hold you upright but also in a straight line.
As soon as you stop moving the wheels are no longer generate any such force and you’re balancing all by yourself.
I like to play with this force whenever I change my tyres because it feels so weird to have the wheel resist me trying to tilt it.
[Here’s](https://youtu.be/ty9QSiVC2g0?t=55) a great 3 minute video which I’ve timestamped from the correct moment to see a wheel stabilise itself with a better explanation of you can’t do it with your own wheels.
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