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Will a free standing bicycle ridden on a treadmill fall over? (hackertalks.com)

submitted 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Stationary bicycles need support to stop from falling over because they lack gyroscopic stabilization. Right?

If you ride a free bicycle on a treadmill (so both wheels are spinning) will it fall over or stay upright?

If you fall over on a treadmill, does it matter if this treadmill bicycle combo is on a train?

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[–] [email protected] 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

No, the energy in the wheels isn't enough to accelerate the bike and your body very much. Either the wheels will spin without traction or you'll lurch a little forward, or some combination of the two.

You can see the effect by lifting your rear wheel off the ground and spinning the tire up then dropping the bike back to the ground. The ground basically just acts like a brake.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 7 months ago

Ah ok that makes sense.