ls this showing actual measurements or simulations?
Either way: Pretty cool, order within chaos.
this post was submitted on 05 Sep 2025
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The source of the order is pretty apparent. Bicycles (and other tandem two-wheeled vehicles like motorcycles, etc.) are self balancing as long as they're moving forward. This is due to a combination of gyroscopic effect as well as the offset of their front wheel relative to the steering axis. They stay upright by allowing the front wheel to meander back and forth in a regular pattern. Insofar as I can figure from a lifetime of riding bicycles and motorcycles, the length of the "wobbles," i.e. forming the peaks in sine wave pattern above are not influenced by speed. Rather, they're some multiple of the distance between the front axle and steering stem. The frequency at which they occur is of course directly proportional to speed, which is why when you get into such a tank-slapper on your motorcycle at 65+ MPH you're likely to eat shit.
This self stabilizing effect is going on all the time and in fact even if you're riding your bicycle in what you might think is a straight line, it's keeping itself balanced by wobbling back and forth minutely at this same frequency. If you try locking the stem on a bike solid, e.g. by cranking down the stem nut until the handlebars won't move anymore, you'll find it nearly impossible to ride even in a straight line and completely impossible to steer -- even if you try to do so by leaning.
That truly is beautific
I wonder how they plotted the paths- whether it was digital sensors, something more analog like chalk on the wheels, an overhead camera...
Whatever it was, it made for a beautiful plot!
I am 99 % certain this is from a simulation on a computer.
Which hairstyle is this?
"The Ring", I think