Why when you are riding a bicycle do you need to first turn/lean right to make make a left turn, and vice versa?

Question

Why when you are riding a bicycle do you need to first turn/lean right to make make a left turn, and vice versa?

In: 0

Answer 1

You turn the handlebars right in order to lean left. Then you turn the handlebars left to maintain balance in the turn. Then you turn the handlebars left harder to bring yourself upright and end the turn. Most of this happens from a combination of muscle memory and the geometry of the bicycle’s steering, most people don’t even realize they turn the opposite direction to start the turn.

Leaning left is what allows you to make the left turn. By leaning left I specifically mean the position of your center of mass in relation to where the tires contact the ground, not the angle of the bike in relation to the ground. You can lean the bike quite significantly under yourself and still go straight, so long as you keep your center of mass directly above where the wheels contact the ground.

The physics principle that actually accelerates you left or right is called inverted pendulum.