Physics
Why a bicycle stays up
Explore self-stability in the linear Whipple bicycle benchmark. Speed, trail, steering-axis tilt and wheel gyroscopic terms change the freely evolving lean and steer response.
Try this
Change speed, trail and steering tilt. The linear Whipple model applies near upright with a rigid rider mass. Beyond 35°, the scene switches to an illustrative rigid-body fall with road contacts; the small-angle calculation has ended.
Equations used in the module
Equations M q″ + v C1 q′ + (g K0 + v² K2) q = 0 q = (lean, steer) Meijaard benchmark: w = 1.02 m; trail = 0.08 m; tilt = π/10
