[raghusesha (OP)]

Is the principle of bicycle or top (being more stable when the wheel is rotating or top is rotating) same as the principle of gyroscope?  Or is it something else?

[tommya300]

Is the principle of bicycle or top (being more stable when the wheel is rotating or top is rotating) same as the principle of gyroscope?  Or is it something else?

I always thought it was gyro but I am wrong here.

http://www2.eng.cam.ac.uk/~hemh/gyrobike.htm

[imatfaal]

Cool link - thanks Tommy

[Geezer]

We beat this one to death last year.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=25419.0

[tommya300]

We beat this one to death last year.

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/forum/index.php?topic=25419.0

This is the shake 'n' bake one, and I helped.   [B)]

I learned from this

[tommya300]

Cool link - thanks Tommy

You are welcome Mat!

I was just wondering if 2 extra wheels  were mounted on each side, equal weight and balanced, axles at the level of the handle bars. Having the axles  offset from the front and back wheels and duplicate  the test spinning the free gyro wheels. But this time  push the bicycle forward with no rider.
Would it exibit some stability?

[imatfaal]

A light bike with fast spinning auxiliary wheels - I could see that working.  Will dredge the memory banks and see if I could do a back of the envelope calc to approximate.

Of Course, would be easier to mount the extra wheels a little bit lower, so they touched the ground; hey presto your bike is stable in all normal circumstances (although it is now a tricycle or quadracycle)

Matthew