In the graph, you can see that without a rider, the weight was distributed fairly evenly between the two wheels. One Force Plate was for the front wheel and the other was for the rear. To study weight distribution quantitatively, we mounted a road bike in a stationary trainer perched atop two Force Plates. Likewise, a rider who moves her weight backwards when descending a steep incline keeps her center of mass between the wheels, making it much harder to “endo” (go “end over” the handlebars).ĭon’t have a goniometer? A photogate can measure cadence and a motion detector pedal position. (By comparison, a motorcycle typically weighs much more than its rider, thus the rider’s actions have a much smaller influence on the location of the center of mass.) By moving forward, a rider can place more weight over the front wheel, creating the extra friction and traction between it and the road that makes high-speed cornering possible. Have you ever seen a cyclist get low and forward while diving into a turn? Or have you seen a mountain biker shift her weight backward when descending a steep pitch? How the rider is positioned on the bicycle is the dominant factor in determining the center of mass of the bicycle-rider system. One investigation that works well in high school and college physics courses is investigating weight distribution of a rider on a bicycle. From the forces you exert on the pedals to your energy output while climbing a steep road, there are hundreds of avenues for physics exploration. A bicycle is practically a rolling physics lab.
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