Video: An Experimental Bike Demonstrates Some Basic Principles of Bike Balance & Counter-Steering

 If they rolled a 2015 bike down the hill it would have just fell over.

 Anything with 26" wheels, and now most 27.5" are unrideable LOL

 This explains so much. No more feeling silly when I fall down - it's officially the bike's fault.

 @matadorCE: I find that anything with 29” tires or bigger is unrideable lol.

 @matadorCE: still rocking my 26” heavy AF M9 with no issues.

 Any iteration of the fork before the latest release is unrideable, for example a Fox 36 from 2020.

Exception: the Lyrik before the f*ç%ed it up :-)

 @louiefriesen: *whoosh*

 @nickfranko: My reply was more of a woosh than him, you should’ve just wooshed me.

 Mielakka on a dirt jumper is pretty rideable.

 $7k is entry level to the sport now

 Veritassium is gold

 Worth watching in regards to the bicycle industry: www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5v8D-alAKE

 @fjopsys: Good video suggestion. It's great that Veritasium shined a light on dynamic obsolescence, and you're right that this is relevant to the bike industry. I love that channel in general - I'm 100% veritasium fan boy.

 @cedric-eveleigh: It's a great channel.

Obsolescence just grinds me. It irks me when you can't or the parts are priced so outrageously that people justify replacement.

Just this evening the hinge broke on the door of our washing machine. $165 to replace a hinge. One hinge. $990 to replace the entire unit. I'll fix the hinge all day long, but many people would think fall into the trap of thinking about its age (11yrs), what's going to break next, etc and eventually find themselves browsing cyber Monday sales for a replacement... might as well grab a matching dryer too... be a good little consumer.

 @fracasnoxteam: Smarter every day is also a great learning channel.

www.youtube.com/c/smartereveryday/videos

 @pourquois-pas: the spring that holds the latch of my microwave broke. The door is not accessible so no way to replace the spring. So instead of 20 minutes of time and 39 cents I have to shell out $100 plus for a new microwave; one of these days.

That's one damn expensive hinge you need to replace but still less expensive than the new unit. You deserve an AXS drivetrain for saving so much money.

 @fjopsys:

I understand your sentiment, but the subject of that video (light bulbs/consumer electronics) isn't really an apt comparison. Development, and subsequent "obsolesce" of new products in the bicycle industry has less to do with market fixing/control and overt consumerism and more to do with delivering better performing products...Kinda the idea why we can ride faster, launch bigger, and have better traction. A rider can still find core service parts for bicycles built in the 1960's and 1970's - that's certainly a great example of a right to repair.

But the consumption model is also the cornerstone of nearly EVERYTHING we use in life.. The real factor at play is the consumptive capitalism model, of which we're all captive and all participants.

 @MattyBoyR6: Another example: my solar wireless keyboard stopped charging. I bought solar to minimize replacement battery waste and was a bit dismayed when reading the manual that the battery "isn't replaceable". The housing requires a special tool to remove unless you hamfist it, and when you do get the battery out it has a permanent sticker indicating "do not replace". The manual even days the battery should only be removed for disposal of the keyboard.

Some careful tool work, bit of adhesive remover and wouldn't you know it is a standardly available rechargeable 2032 battery.

$9.99 to replace the battery, $89.99 to replace the keyboard.

I'll be picking up a new battery later today.

 It's possible at low speeds. You have to lean in at the same time you turn though.

 @jeremy3220: it’s not possible. If you’re still fuzzy on why it’s not possible, watch the video again. They explain this exact question with video examples of people trying.

 Some friends of mine got confused by something they saw in the movie, "On Any Sunday" when they got their MC licenses. They were convinced that you turn left to go right under 100 MPH, left to go left over 100 MPH, and then back to countersteering over 200 MPH. Damn lucky they didn't get killed from overthinking.

 @TEAM-ROBOT: yeah they're sitting on the seat using the steering to lean. But you don't have to use the steering to initiate a lean if you know how.

 @jeremy3220: It doesn’t really matter if
you’re seated or standing. Every force requires an equal and opposite force, so when you “lean in” you have to have some part of your body pushing out in the opposite direction. Your “lean in” action will always push the tire contact patch “out” in the opposite direction. Try it.

 @TEAM-ROBOT: "Your “lean in” action will always push the tire contact patch “out” in the opposite direction. Try it."

How do you think they're falling to the side without being able to steer in the video?

 @jeremy3220: I think so as well after trying it. I couldn't see any noticeable counter steering. Maybe If I were to take a video I'd see it. Would like to try that bike.

 @Jacquers: that’s the whole point of the video, that the counter steer is not easily noticeable and in many cases very tiny with it only becoming clear upon seeing the video. I went outside earlier and tried this. I felt like I could turn the bike without the counter steer but it was not natural and took some weird leaning to do it. Point is that to ride and steer the bike most easily and efficiently you are doing to counter steer.

 It took Lightning McQueen a while to understand 'turn right to go left' too.

 @sino428: there is a way to turn without counter steering. It's by removing your hands from handlebar. That way you lean your body for steering, but not by counter steering as you can't. But as you don't have centrifugal force to lean or keeping you upright, you can't have too small cornering radius, and you can't change from left to right easily.

 @faul: If you lean left without hands on the handlebars the bars will first turn right a bit (countersteer) and then turn left into the lean.

 @TEAM-ROBOT:
try it yourself. go jump on your bike, out of the saddle, and lean the bike, while going straight. weighting the outside pedal is the equal and opposite force that counteracts the lean, not counter steering. at the same time, your vector of force through the handle bars is no longer through the tire, but moves into the the direction of the lean, pulling the front wheel that way.

the inability to move the weight outboard while in the saddle is what necessitates the counter steer.

 @tdcworm: Yes there's a contradiction in his logic. You can't lean without steering...this would imply you couldn't lose balance (lean over) without steering. That's the exact opposite of what the video showed.

 Yep. I learned that to turn a motorcycle you can push on the opposite side of the handlebards only.

 @faul: username checks out.
Riding hands-free most definitely requires counter steering before cornering; you will notice it more when you ride slower.
Also, riding hands-free you *can* have a small cornering radius, and you *can* easily change from left to right (with practice).

 Imagine arguing with @TEAM-ROBOT.
Like do you not know?
Well you should know
www.vitalmtb.com/features/MTB-ADVICE-with-Team-Robot-ANSWERS-1,3010

 Yes... good riders are already doing full scandi flicks when coming in hot into tight corners. After watching some EWS pro videos and Jesse Melemed a while ago, I started working on them this year. I found it only really works on certain trails... generally smooth flow type stuff. If the corner has too much rough stuff in the way, it doesn't really work... well, at my skill level anyway. It also take some serious commitment (same as in a rally car) as well as a high speed to low speed corner where you have the inertia to make it work (same as in a rally car).

In the end... I came away not really sure if it was any faster... and I think requires very skill to make it faster than regular cornering techniques (same as in a rally car). End of the day... if I'm racing... the risk vs. reward probably isn't there for me. But they are super fun and satisfying when you nail it... so I'll keep trying and learning and doing them for fun.

 Danny could ride it

 Alternatively you could lift the rear and do a little scandi flick to get the same result

 Newton rolls over in his grave--but first in the opposite direction