The Counterintuitive Physics of Turning a Bike

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[xisumavoid]

Next time i got for a cycle im gonna play close attention to my turning as Ive never noticed this before, its mostly subconscious i guess but thinking about it i probably do steer slightly to the other direction first.

[imnotafurryiswear]

When i go straight in a bike i feel calm
but when i take a turn i start to panic

[AB-mkey]

You learn this in motorcycle safety and certification class. What this video fails to mention is the speed factor. At very low speeds this concept is not as dramatic. You feel like you are just turning the handlebars to turn. And you are. The concept still applies, you just don't sense it. At high speeds, like on a motorcycle, the concept is very noticeable. You are taught to "press" the handlebars in the direction you want to turn to start the bike leaning. Your body will then lean with the bike, you will go around the curve, and then straighten up as you come out of it. The more you ride, the less you think about it, and it just becomes a natural "instinct". But if you think about it when you do it, it is fascinating. Can't really appreciate the full concept until you are going 80 mph on the highway into a curve on a motorcycle. It is exhilerating to say the least!!!

[cHaMp]

i used to be able to ride a bike now after watching this i keep crashing

[Rylo]

This doesn't seem correct at all. You lean to the right to turn right, Why would you need to either lean or turn to the left first at all?

[Poyntlesss]

This actually does a really good job at explaining why its so darn hard to learn how to ride a bike.
It also explains that phenomenon when you are about to fall off the edge of something while riding, but you can't just steer away from it and end up falling in anyway, you try to turn away, your weight shifts, and you then only are able to turn off that edge.

[PROLEMS]

If you turn the handlebar to the right, you will go right, trust me. You might fall to the ground by left side of the bike if you dont lean right to increase centripetal force, but that doesnt mean you are turning left. Its quite annoying when "scientists" focus on trying to impress the people with "mind-blowing facts" more than investigating the universe, isn't it, MinutePhysics?

[caramida]

I was expecting they would say something about the recent fly-by of Pluto... but apearently learning how to turn a bike is more important...

[HouseFullaFrogs]

this is right only if you use the handlebars like some kind of bicycle noob

[XzqwertyzX]

biking feels so natural, i dont even remember doing any of this

[kght]

that isn't counter intuitive regardless of how much physics geeks argue that it is. to turn on a bike you lean into a turn, that is absolutely intuitive to any adult even if they have never ridden a bike in their life.

[AceGA]

The really odd phenomenon is adults learning to ride a motorcycle. Despite knowing how to ride a bicycle, and how that bicycle turns, at least subconsciously, you need to teach an adult how to turn a motorcycle. For some reason many adults will fight with the notion of counter steering a motorcycle, which is compounded once they learn to lean into turns, and are actually required to steer into the turn to keep the turn on the correct radius.

One of the aspects of riding a motorcycle I particularly enjoy is finding that balance point in a long sweeping curve between shifting my body mass and keeping my steering input neutral.

[RSvidsincorporated]

A lot of people are pointing out that this isnt *that* correct. I think this applies mostly when going at higher speeds as turning the cycle to the right at a higher speed means the momentum overcomes the friction more and just makes it difficult.

[morgengabe]

48 seconds in and almost certain that I'm going to crash next time I ride my bike to work.

[Sabasanosiss]

Wait I've always just turn it the direction i was going and lean to stabilize it.  I'm even trying to rack my brain remembering instances that i did sometime like what was mention in the video for any reason other than some simple fun.  I'm confused, this is intuitive.  We even walk the same way, simply shifting our weight the direction we want to go.

[CubanRider]

Cool video. I learned the concept when I got my motorcycle. In the classroom it didn't make sense, but out practicing it all came together. That's how you start to steer a motorcycle, specially a heavy one or when going fast; all the leaning in the world will not get the bike to turn.

[FranzReischl]

Since Vessel comments are even more ignored than YT comments, if you can believe that, I want to repeat my comment here:

Sorry, but this doesn't make sense. Of course you go left if you turn the handlebar left, provided you can keep the bike balancing upright by weightshifting. Which is fairly easy at low speeds. At higher speeds, you initiate a left turn by leaning in to the left, and again, the handlebar going to the left. That you have to apply torque to the handlebar to keep it pointed the right way is obvious. If you wanted to say that you initiate the left lean by turning right, I could buy that, although not necessarily either. But even if you meant to say that, you did not. I for myself like to "swing out" to the right before making a left turn at higher speeds, but thats part increasing the radius to allow higher speeds, part show of.

[zankoku]

I was never conscious of how to turn on on a bike. After so many years, one never stops learning. Thanks.

[antivanti]

To the people who are saying "You can also just lean without steering to initiate the turn". If you did that without any steering input at all you would just tilt the bike in the opposite direction and still have the center of mass right above the wheels.
Even when it feels like you are leaning without steering you are actually steering. It's just that the steering input needed is usually small and since you are already making constant small adjustments to keep the balance it just becomes another one of those except this one shifts your balance slightly off center.

[chenjamin]

Instead of debating this, the easiest way you can test this is by getting on a bike and steering with one open palm. You might think that only being able to steer with your right palm will mean you obviously turn left because that's the only direction you can turn the handlebars, but surprisingly not being able to turn the handlebars to the right will prevent you from completing a stable left turn.