I never quite understood why it is so much easier to keep a bike balanced while riding at a certain speed, compared to riding it really slow, or while standing…
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The mech ice of having your weight on top of the bike as well as the angle of the front wheel fork is self-correcting.
The first thing to notice about a bike is that leaning your weight turns the wheel in that direction, causing you to turn that way.
The next thing to notice is how you actually use the handlebars to steer. Next time you’re on a bike coasting at a reasonable speed take your hands off the handlebars if you can, or just hold them very lightly. Then pull one handlebar slightly: you’ll notice that when you pull the handlebar it will send the wheel in that direction, but not your weight. This will initiate a lean in the opposite direction. Thus to turn left, you actually steer right. Turning and controlling the bike is all about moving your weight, and we just use the handlebars to control our weight.
This is constantly happening as you ride: you lose balance to your left and start leaning left, the bike naturally turns left putting the bike back under your weight, stabilising it.
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