Most People Don't Know How Bikes Work

Why are bicycles stable? The most common answer is gyroscopic effects, but this is not right. This video was sponsored by Kiwico. Get 50% off your first month of any crate at https://kiwico.com/veritasium50

Huge thanks to Rick Cavallaro for creating this bike on short notice. Thanks to all the friends who participated in the filming. Rick was also responsible for the Blackbird Faster Than The Wind Downwind Cart. https://youtu.be/jyQwgBAaBag

Much of the information presented here on the stability of a riderless bicycle stems from original research at Delft http://bicycle.tudelft.nl/schwab/Bicy... and Cornell http://ruina.tam.cornell.edu/research...

This line of bicycle-balance research was initiated by Jim Papadopoulos: https://www.nature.com/articles/535338a

Great videos on bikes and counter-steering:
MinutePhysics: How Do Bikes Stay Up? https://youtu.be/oZAc5t2lkvo
MinutePhysics: The Counterintuitive Physics of Turning a Bike: https://youtu.be/llRkf1fnNDM
Why Bicycles Do Not Fall - Arend Schwab TED talk: https://youtu.be/2Y4mbT3ozcA
Today I Found Out: We Still Don't Know How Bicycles Work https://youtu.be/YWsK6rmsKSI
TU Delft - Smart motor in handlebars prevents bicycles from falling over: https://youtu.be/rBOQp2uY_lk
Andy Ruina Explains How Bicycles Balance Themselves: https://youtu.be/NcZCzr9ExKk

More References: TU Delft Bicycle Site: http://bicycle.tudelft.nl/schwab/Bicy...
Bicycle stability program: http://ruina.tam.cornell.edu/research...

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Written by Derek Muller
Filmed by Trenton Oliver, Raquel Nuno and Derek Muller
Edited by Derek Muller
Music from Epidemic Sound and Jonny Hyman
Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev and Emily Zhang