• Pons_Aelius@kbin.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    4
    ·
    edit-2
    1 year ago

    or complicated reasons I don’t fully understand

    There are two main reason scooters are unstable compared to bicycles.

    Wheel size. Bigger wheels means more stability over bumps.

    Steering angle.

    Scooters have a zero degree steering angle (the forks are vertical) which means the smallest turn of the bars leads to a big change in direction and makes them very unstable.

    Bikes have forks that are angled away from the vertical. This is much more stable and means that a larger movement is needed to change direction.

    • ZagorathOP
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      ·
      1 year ago

      Yeah that much, I understand. What I don’t really understand is how that physics actually plays out. Why exactly is a bike’s steering angle able to have that effect?

      I guess it’s the difference between knowing and understanding. I know bikes are more stable because of the angle of the forks. But I don’t understand how that works.