Those bicycle builders big mistake!



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In article <[email protected]>,
Garrison Hilliard <[email protected]> wrote:

> The most interesting scientific fact about the bicycle is that when you get up a head of steam its
> center of gravity is actually in front of the place where the front tire meets the road. The
> greater the angle of the front fork, the farther forward the center of gravity is. That's why you
> can ride a bike with no hands ---- because it keeps falling forward toward its center of gravity.

Bwahahahahahahaha. He worked hard on that one.

"Gyroscopic stability" just doesn't have as much ring to it. Still, it's good for bikes and
boomerangs, what more could you want?

--
David J Richardson -- [email protected] http://davidj.richardson.name/ -- Dr Who
articles/interviews/reviews http://www.boomerang.org.au/ -- Boomerang Association of Australia
 
"psycholist" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Jym Dyer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> > > With the exception of musical instruments, the bicycle may be the most human machine ever
> > > invented. The airplane is one of the most inhuman. The scale of the disasters the airplane
> > > made possible shows we would be better off without it.
> >
> > =v= I can vouch for this. There was a bicycle show at the World Trade Center in Spring, 2001.
> > People rode bikes around, some clumsily. I personally collided with the building, and it didn't
> > fall down. <_Jym_>
>
> This post is sick and twisted. Your computer is an evil, infernal contraption for facilitating
> such a post! Clearly, the adding machine is
a
> better machine because it wouldn't have allowed you to express such a thought.
>

There's just no 'accounting' for some people. ;^D

Mike
 
In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> The most interesting scientific fact about the bicycle is that when you get up a head of steam its
> center of gravity is actually in front of the place where the front tire meets the road.
>
If so, what keeps if from falling over frontward?

Rick
 
Zoot Katz wrote:

>Wed, 17 Dec 2003 22:31:31 -0600, <[email protected]>, Jim Adney
><[email protected]> wrote:
>
>>It is only in the 1st world countries where the bicycle is seen as only a recreational product.
>>
>
>The Wright's stated purpose of flight was for "sport". They almost got into cars but cycling had
>already whetted their taste for freedom. It was mostly the train guys who turned to cars while the
>bike guys went into aircraft and motorcycles.
>
On a good day with a nice tailwind, we all fly our bikes. Bernie
 
Java Man (Espressopithecus) <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> In article <[email protected]>, [email protected] says...
> > The most interesting scientific fact about the bicycle is that when you get up a head of steam
> > its center of gravity is actually in front of the place where the front tire meets the road.
> >
> If so, what keeps if from falling over frontward?
>
> Rick

Dear Rick,

Surely it must be obvious to the meanest intelligence that a bicycle with a full head of steam is
proceeding in a constant forward fall, much like the moon.

Only the ingenious circular shape of the front wheel prevents a horrifying accident, converting the
forward fall into linear motion.

Braking is a simple matter of moving the center of gravity to a point slightly behind a
perpendicular line dropped from the back of the rear tire.

This halts the forward fall that the wheels convert into circular motion, so the bicycle runs out of
steam, but it also ruins the delicate balance of the system, which is why most riders put a foot
down when they come to a halt.

I hope that this answers your question.

Carl Fogel
 
On 18 Dec 2003 05:48:10 GMT,
[email protected] wrote:

>psycholist <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>: And yes, you're right. Bicycles were used in the military. There's a display about it at Fort
>: Benning, GA. I believe the Chinese and the Vietnamese have also made significant military use of
>: the bicycle.
>
>I recall there recently was a link to some full-suspension easily packable MTB designed to be used
>by US Rangers. The bikes that .fi military uses are quite different from that...
id like to find that link- any more info you have would be great, like quotes from the post etc. I
personally would like a packable full sus bike
 
In article <%[email protected]>,
"Pete" <[email protected]> wrote:

> <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> > psycholist <[email protected]> wrote:
> >
> > : And yes, you're right. Bicycles were used in the military. There's a display about it at Fort
> > : Benning, GA. I believe the Chinese and the Vietnamese have also made significant military use
> > : of the bicycle.
> >
> > I recall there recently was a link to some full-suspension easily packable MTB designed to be
> > used by US Rangers.
>
> I believe that's by a company that *would like* the US military to use their bikes. Evidently, no
> interest yet.
>
> Pete

http://www.militarybikes.com/military.html

It appears you are correct, though the bike does seem to have been developed with some DARPA
cooperation.

--
Ryan Cousineau, [email protected] http://www.sfu.ca/~rcousine President, Fabrizio Mazzoleni Fan Club
 
[email protected] (Carl Fogel) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

> Surely it must be obvious to the meanest intelligence that a bicycle with a full head of steam is
> proceeding in a constant forward fall, much like the moon.

That's why riding uphill is so hard. It upsets the forward-falling motion of the bike, which quickly
runs out of steam.

--
Dave...
 
On 18 Dec 2003 22:11:34 -0800 [email protected] (Carl Fogel)
wrote:

>Braking is a simple matter of moving the center of gravity to a point slightly behind a
>perpendicular line dropped from the back of the rear tire.
>
>This halts the forward fall that the wheels convert into circular motion, so the bicycle runs out
>of steam, but it also ruins the delicate balance of the system, which is why most riders put a foot
>down when they come to a halt.

And here I always thought that I was just putting my foot down to keep from rolling backwards....

-
-----------------------------------------------
Jim Adney [email protected] Madison, WI 53711 USA
-----------------------------------------------
 
Jim Adney wrote:
>
> On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 02:47:44 +0000 Garrison Hilliard <[email protected]> wrote:
>
<snip>
>
> This ignores the fact that the bicycle is a major source of pragmatic transportation for people
> and goods for a majority of the people of the world. It is only in the 1st world countries where
> the bicycle is seen as only a recreational product.
>
<snip>

Most of the world, and most of Europe, consider a bicycle serious transportation. Only the US,
Canada, and a few European countries do not treat bicycles as serious vehicles.
 
In rec.bicycles.misc Mike Schwab <[email protected]> wrote:

: Jim Adney wrote:
:>
:> On Wed, 17 Dec 2003 02:47:44 +0000 Garrison Hilliard <[email protected]> wrote:

:> This ignores the fact that the bicycle is a major source of pragmatic transportation for people
:> and goods for a majority of the people of the world. It is only in the 1st world countries where
:> the bicycle is seen as only a recreational product.

: Most of the world, and most of Europe, consider a bicycle serious transportation. Only the US,
: Canada, and a few European countries do not treat bicycles as serious vehicles.

Not sure how serious the bicycle is in the third world... consider say Africa. If everything is in
walking distance, you don't need it. It might be just a specialty item for the rich. The roads might
be too bad for cycling. And often the local power elites are so fond of cars they build the roads
for them, not bicycles.

Traffic planners also seem to assume the bike is something people ride leisurely for recreation, not
something that is supposed to provide fast transportation.

--
Risto Varanka | http://www.helsinki.fi/~rvaranka/ [email protected]
 
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