Just like Squeaks, I love riding on wheels, but my favorite ride is my bicycle! Riding a bike is super fun because I can go farther and faster than walking. But I remember when I first learned to ride a bike, it was tricky to keep it from falling over. Have you ever wondered how bikes stay up without falling?
When a bike is standing still, it can’t stay up on its own. You need a kickstand to keep it from toppling over. But when you’re riding fast enough, the bike stays up without a kickstand. The secret is in the balance!
Whether you realize it or not, you’re great at balancing. When you walk, rollerblade, bike, or even stand still, you’re balancing. For example, if you’re walking and someone nudges you to the right, you automatically put your foot out to the right to keep from falling. You keep your body in line with your feet, which helps you stay balanced.
When you’re on a bike, you need to keep the bike in line with the wheels to stay upright. You do this by steering! Even if it feels like you’re going straight, you’re actually making tiny corrections with the handlebars to keep you and the bike lined up.
If the bike leans a little to the right, you steer a bit to the right. If it leans to the left, you steer a bit to the left. Every time you steer in the direction the bike leans, you’re bringing the weight of the bike and yourself back on top of the wheels.
Imagine trying to balance a tall, skinny object like a baseball bat upright in your hand. When it leans to one side, you move your hand to the same side to keep it upright. Steering your bike is like moving your hand to keep the bat balanced.
Keeping your bike balanced can be hard, especially when you’re first learning. Even experienced riders can be wobbly when they start pedaling. When you’re going slowly, you need to swerve a bit to keep the bike lined up until you gain speed.
Why do you need to go fast to stay balanced? When the bike leans, you have to act quickly to keep it balanced. If you’re moving too slowly, you can’t turn fast enough to keep it from falling.
Learning to ride a bike can be tricky. You have to teach yourself how to work with the bike to keep it upright. But now you know that when you’re steering, you’re not just pointing your bike where you want to go; you’re also keeping it balanced! You might start out wobbly, but once you get going, it’s as easy as riding a bike!
Thanks for joining us today! If you have any questions, let us know by asking a grown-up to leave a comment or send us an email at [email protected]. See you next time!
Balance Challenge: Find a small object like a pencil or a ruler. Try to balance it upright on your finger. Notice how you have to move your finger to keep it from falling. This is similar to how you steer a bike to keep it balanced. Can you keep it balanced for 10 seconds? Try it with different objects and see which ones are easier or harder to balance.
Bike Observation Walk: Next time you go for a walk or a ride, observe people riding bikes. Notice how they steer and make small adjustments to keep their balance. Can you spot when they make these tiny corrections? Talk with a friend or family member about what you see and how it relates to what you learned about balance.
Speed and Balance Experiment: If you have a bike, try riding it slowly and then a bit faster. Feel how the bike behaves differently at different speeds. When do you feel more balanced? Ask a grown-up to help you time how long you can ride without putting your feet down at different speeds. Discuss why going faster helps you stay balanced.
