Good afternoon, dear reader.

As soon as sufficiently warm weather sets in over the central part of Russia, the number of two-wheeled Vehicle increases significantly. Hundreds of drivers of bicycles and mopeds appear on the city streets and pour into the dense traffic flow.

In my experience, at least 80 percent of drivers of non-licensed two-wheelers have absolutely no idea about and hit the road completely unprepared.

Traffic rules for bicycles

Consider regulations traffic for bicycles. With a cursory review of the text, it may seem that traffic rules for cyclists are concentrated exclusively in section 24 of the rules "". However, in reality, things are completely different.

In the rules of the road, there are several types of road users to which a particular paragraph of the rules may apply. Among others, this motor vehicle, vehicle And driver. An unpowered bicycle is not a motorized vehicle, but all the points relating to drivers and vehicles apply to cyclists as well.

Attention! Rules relating to pedestrians do not apply to cyclists. They apply only to persons riding a bicycle.

In this way most traffic rules apply to cyclists, including the special 24 section. I will not disassemble and explain absolutely everything for cyclists in this article. The interested reader can do it himself. I will focus only on those points of the rules that are most often violated by cyclists.

Technical condition of the bike

2.3. The driver of the vehicle must:

2.3.1. Before leaving, check and ensure the correct technical condition of the vehicle on the way in accordance with the Basic Provisions for the admission of vehicles for operation and the duties of officials to ensure road safety (hereinafter - the Basic Provisions).

Do not drive in the event of a malfunction working brake system, steering, coupling device (as part of a road train), unlit (absent) headlights and tail lights in dark time day or in conditions of insufficient visibility, inactive on the driver's side of the windshield wiper during rain or snowfall.

So the rules of the road ban cycling, which has malfunctions of the service brake system or steering. And it's not just about riding a bike with a broken handlebar or brakes.

There are "passionate" cyclists who try to reduce the weight of the bike in all sorts of ways. Including in the course is the removal of brakes and other structural elements. Punishment for such a violation is provided for by the Code of Administrative Offenses and will be discussed at the end of the article.

Alcoholic intoxication of a cyclist

Movement of cyclists over 14 years of age possibly in descending order:

1. On cycle paths, cycle paths or cycle lanes.
2. On the right side of the road.
3. Along the side.
4. On a sidewalk or footpath.

Please note that each subsequent item in the above list implies that there are no previous items.

For example, you can drive along the side of the road (point 3) only in the absence of bike path or lanes, as well as the inability to move along the right edge of the carriageway.

In addition, there are a few exceptions:

• You can ride on the carriageway if the width of the bike or load exceeds 1 meter.
• You can drive on the carriageway if the movement is carried out in columns.
• You can ride on the sidewalk or footpath if you are accompanying a cyclist under the age of 14 or carrying a child under the age of 7.

When driving on the roadway, the following points of the rules should be borne in mind:

24.5. When cyclists move along the right edge of the carriageway in the cases provided for by these Rules, cyclists must move only in one row.

A column of cyclists is allowed to move in two rows if the overall width of the bicycles does not exceed 0.75 m.

The column of cyclists must be divided into groups of 10 cyclists in the case of a single-lane movement or into groups of 10 pairs in the case of a two-lane movement. To facilitate overtaking, the distance between groups should be 80 - 100 m.

Additional Information:

Movement of cyclists aged 7 to 14 possible on sidewalks, pedestrian, bicycle and bicycle paths, as well as within pedestrian zones.

Please note that "school cyclists" are not allowed to ride on bike lanes, carriageway and roadside.

Movement of cyclists under the age of 7 possible only together with pedestrians (on sidewalks, pedestrian and bicycle paths, pedestrian zones).

Thus, at present, the movement of cyclists is possible, including on sidewalks and roadsides. In this case, the rules of the cyclist impose additional requirements:

24.6. If the movement of a cyclist on a sidewalk, footpath, curb or within pedestrian zones endangers or interferes with the movement of other persons, the cyclist must dismount and be guided by the requirements provided for in these Rules for the movement of pedestrians.

I note that when driving on sidewalks, footpaths, roadsides and pedestrian zones, a cyclist should not interfere with the movement of other persons. If necessary, the cyclist must get off the bike and continue as a pedestrian.

Let's consider an interesting example. Suppose a car (in some cases it is allowed by the rules) and a cyclist are driving on the sidewalk. If a collision (accident) occurs, then both road users will be to blame for it. If the cyclist walks along the sidewalk, then he will not be to blame for the accident (he will not pay for car repairs).

Thus, paragraph 24.6 emphasizes that in the case sidewalk accident one of his culprits in any case will be a cyclist.

Dedicated lanes for cyclists

In 2019, on the roads you can find dedicated lanes for cyclists, marked with special signs:

These lanes are restricted to bicycles and mopeds.

Dedicated lanes for public transport

In addition, in 2019, cyclists can also use dedicated lanes for public transport. Clause 18.2 of the Rules:

18.2. On roads with a lane for route vehicles, marked with signs 5.11.1, 5.13.1, 5.13.2, 5.14, it is prohibited to move and stop other vehicles (with the exception of school buses and vehicles used as passenger taxis, as well as cyclists - if the lane for route vehicles is located on the right) on this lane.

Please note that a cyclist can enter a public transport lane only if this lane is marked with one of the signs listed above. In addition, there should not be additional conditions prohibiting entry to the specified lane.

For example, in some Russian cities the movement is organized as follows. In fact, the road has a dedicated lane for route vehicles and all traffic participants understand this. However, from the point of view of traffic rules, the lane is not indicated by the signs listed above. Just at the entrance to it, a sign 3.1 "brick" is installed.

The requirements of this sign can be ignored only by public transport drivers. The rest of the vehicles, including cyclists, cannot pass under the "brick".

Additional Information:

Cycling areas

On December 14, 2018, the concept of "Bicycle zone" appeared in the rules of the road. The following road signs are used to indicate the bike zone:

Not only cyclists, but also motor vehicles (cars) can move along the bicycle zone. In this case, the following rules must be observed:

• Cyclists have priority over cars.
• Cyclists can move along the entire passing side of the carriageway, and not just at the right edge.
• Bicyclists are not prohibited from turning left and making U-turns on wide roads.
• The speed limit is 20 km/h.
• Pedestrians can cross the road anywhere, but they do not have an advantage.

More detailed information about bicycle zones is given in the following article:

Bicycle riders must yield to pedestrians at crossings

14.1. The driver of a vehicle approaching an unregulated pedestrian crossing must give way to pedestrians crossing the road or entering the carriageway (tram tracks) to make the crossing.

A bicycle, like any other vehicle, must slow down or stop before crossing to let pedestrians through.

Lights for bicycles

At night, the bicycle must have headlights or lights on, and during daylight hours, dipped headlights or daytime running lights:

19.1. At night and in conditions of insufficient visibility, regardless of road lighting, as well as in tunnels, a moving vehicle must turn on the following lighting devices:

on all motor vehicles and mopeds - high or low beam headlights, on bicycles - headlights or lanterns, on horse-drawn carts - lanterns (if any);

19.5. During daylight hours, all moving vehicles must turn on dipped beam headlights or daytime running lights to identify them.

So far, I have not met a single cyclist who uses low beam headlights or daytime running lights when driving during the day. In this regard, traffic police officers can impose a fine on almost any bicycle driver.

Age to ride a bike

Bicycling is allowed at any age. However, depending on the age, the rules for cycling differ (this was discussed above).

Movement on the carriageway of roads is possible only from from 14 years old.

Prohibitions for cyclists

24.8. Cyclists and moped drivers are prohibited from:

• ride a bicycle, moped without holding the steering wheel with at least one hand;
• transport cargo that protrudes more than 0.5 m in length or width beyond the dimensions, or cargo that interferes with control;
• to transport passengers, if this is not provided for by the design of the vehicle;
• transport children under 7 years of age in the absence of specially equipped places for them;
• turn left or turn around on roads with tram traffic and on roads with more than one lane for traffic in this direction (except when turning left from the right lane is allowed, and with the exception of roads located in bicycle zones);
• move on the road without a fastened motorcycle helmet (for moped drivers);
• cross the road at pedestrian crossings.

24.9. It is forbidden to tow bicycles and mopeds, as well as towing by bicycles and mopeds, except for towing a trailer intended for use with a bicycle or moped.

From this list, the following points should be noted:

1. Bicycle riders are prohibited from turning left and turning around on roads with more than one lane in a given direction. Those. a left turn in the city is prohibited for a cyclist on almost all major streets.

Note. This requirement does not apply to cycling zones, as well as on roads where a left turn is allowed from the rightmost lane.

In practice, we can offer the following way out of this situation. The cyclist leaves his vehicle and becomes a pedestrian. Then he crosses the intersection in the required direction on the pedestrian crossing. After that, he again sits on the bike and continues to move along the roadway or roadside.

So the fines for cyclists are currently nothing compared to (30,000 rubles for driving while intoxicated). In addition, the advantage of cyclists on the road lies in the fact that for violation traffic rules they are rarely fined. And this, in turn, leads to the fact that most of the "two-wheeled" behave unpredictably on the road, provoking the emergence of dangerous situations.

On this consideration of the features it is finished. Once again I remind you that every cyclist needs to read at least once full version.

Well, in conclusion, I suggest you watch a short video that clearly demonstrates what a violation of traffic rules for cyclists can lead to:

You cannot drive on the sidewalk if there is a roadway not occupied by parked cars.

You can ride on the sidewalk when transporting or accompanying a child. If you are traveling alone, you should drive on the road.

It is possible to drive on the lane allocated for public transport.

Only if there are no signs prohibiting movement on it above the selected lane. For example, in our city, a “No Entry” sign (brick) has been additionally installed above the dedicated lanes, and in this case it is impossible to drive along such lanes.

Good luck on the roads!

Ivan, You're not right.

The Code of Administrative Offenses has its own definition of a vehicle, it is given in a note to.

Note. In this article, a vehicle should be understood as a motor vehicle with a working volume of an internal combustion engine of more than 50 cubic centimeters or a maximum electric motor power of more than 4 kilowatts and a maximum design speed of more than 50 kilometers per hour, as well as trailers for it, subject to state registration, and in other Articles of this chapter also include tractors, self-propelled road-building and other self-propelled vehicles, vehicles, which, in accordance with the law, Russian Federation on road safety is granted a special right.

In the Code of Administrative Offenses, bicycles are not vehicles.

Regarding connections. Attach a diagram of the section of the road you are interested in. Let's see how we can get there. Unfortunately, you can ride a bike far from everywhere and not always.

Good luck on the roads!

I repeat, it is written clearly "Please note that each subsequent item in the above list implies that the previous items are missing." There is NO choice.

And the tragedy is that I do not have the right, in PRINCIPLE, to move along the ROAD and ALL pedestrian zones.

Well, the argument "break as you like, until you get fined" looks quite interesting on this forum))).

remember once and for all rule point 1.5

and always move in such a way that it is done

by car by veles

Let me give you just a few examples, and then you yourself BUT ONLY A QUOTE FROM SDA will try to refute them. How will they shoot me down in a few minutes.

3. The right edge of the carriageway is broken and there are numerous damages to the road surface.

Evdokimov

Eugene-249, I agree with your logic, because I myself follow the same.

The reason, in my opinion: a legal hole. Namely, - the circumstances characterizing the ABSENCE OF THE POSSIBILITY to move along the right edge of the carriageway are not described. For example:

1. Parked cars give "lack of opportunity ..."?

2. Do drain wells with longitudinal ribs give?

3. Do they provide pits and ditches?

In general, only case law will help us. Well, God forbid we form it with you))

Alexander-655

3. The quote you provided is a free interpretation of the rules, not a quote from the rules.

With a slight movement of the foot, without pedaling, but standing on one of the pedals, I turn the bike into ... a scooter.

There is no transverse cross, only getting off the bike according to paragraphs.

There is an expression "loophole in the law". And if the law is bad, then it is quite justified to use this loophole. The width of the pedestrian crossing \u003d the width of the zebra markings, and there is always a distance between the zebra and the stop line - this is, literally and figuratively, a loophole for cycling. On the one hand, pedestrians with an arc line of stops cover you.

This experience was shared by sclar

Stas, Hello.

If there are no other conditions prohibiting movement near the pedestrian crossing (solid markings, for example), then you can go there. However, you will not have any advantage in this case, and in the event of an accident, you will pay for car repairs.

Good luck on the roads!

torture, there is no federal law against storing a bicycle in an apartment. I haven't heard of such a regional law either.

Only if in your house the owners of the apartments decided at a general meeting that the storage of bicycles in a residential building is prohibited and, for example, allocated a separate non-residential premises for this. Although this is an extremely rare case.

Good luck on the roads!

And if another gets caught, he will knock him down and knock out a fine. So save up cash.

I’ll tell you more, even when riding on the sidewalk, if a cyclist gets into an accident with a car leaving (in) the yard, the fault will be either mutual or on the cyclist - violation of clause 24.6 (depends on the speed of the bike, view, etc. - the court decides) , there were precedents.

Conclusion, as we wrote earlier, EVERYWHERE you need to drive observing clause 1.5 "Road users must act in such a way as not to endanger traffic and not cause harm ..."

And in particular, when crossing the road at a reasonable speed next to a pedestrian crossing, I must make sure that there is cover for pedestrians and whether or not a turning car passes me.

And it is also desirable that there are no complaints from the traffic police inspectors and vigilant citizens that I am violating traffic rules.

ps An exercise for lovers of "not riding, but fidgeting", sitting at a computer on a saddle chair, you do not just sit, but periodically, about once every 2 minutes, get up and make a circle around the room (for 2 minutes a cyclist when riding on the sidewalk at a speed of 10 km / h travels 330 meters (approximate distance between intersections).

This procedure will be especially useful for lawmakers who come up with laws for cyclists.

Signs 3.2 - 3.9, 3.32 and 3.33 prohibit the movement of the respective types of vehicles in both directions.

Those. if the sign is installed to the right of the carriageway, then movement along the entire carriageway is prohibited.

GOST R 52289-2004 gives the following information about sign 3.9:

5.4.29. Signs 3.2 - 3.9, 3.32 and 3.33 are installed at each entrance to a section of road or territory where the movement of the corresponding types of vehicles is prohibited. Before side exits to the road, signs are used with one of the plates 8.3.1 - 8.3.3.

There is no additional information on this sign in the regulatory documents.

If stick general principles installation of prohibition signs, they prohibit movement to their left. That is, if there is a sidewalk to the right of the sign, then you can drive along it.

Difficulty can arise if the sidewalk is adjacent to the roadway, and the poles are installed to the right of the sidewalk. In this case, the sign is located to the right of the entire road and an incomprehensible situation arises. If you are faced with a similar situation in practice, then it makes sense to write an appeal to the traffic police with a request to clarify the traffic order or change the traffic pattern on this section of the road.

Good luck on the roads!

Alexey-464

A cyclist is prohibited from turning left or turning around on roads with tram traffic and on roads with more than one lane for traffic in a given direction.

Your comment says that almost nowhere you can turn left. Why? This direction is a left turn or U-turn. If the roadway has 3 lanes in each direction, and a left turn (and a U-turn, if not prohibited) is allowed only from the left lane, where is it written that you cannot turn from the third lane? In this direction only from one lane. Either the rules are written crookedly, or those who read them do not understand what is written. Read carefully. For those who turn left, the direction straight or right is not a given. It is generally absent for him, he does not go there.

Where is it written that you can not turn from the third lane?

This direction is a left turn or U-turn

Dmitry-484

Barkhudarov, you are right - traffic rules for cyclists are written by people who not only do not ride bicycles, but also apparently hate cyclists. First of all, everything is done for motorists, because the strongest and richest are primarily motorists. There are already rumors that the rights for cyclists will be introduced. Instead of reining in motorists who have become insolent to the limit, who not only massively violate rights, but in some cases deliberately try to set up a cyclist - they cut off, do not turn on the right turn signal.

Hello! About dismounting at a regulated intersection, about which they wrote a couple of posts ago, to be honest, I did not find it. But I wanted to ask about something else.

1. Does the requirement of paragraph 24.2 to move on the right edge mean that it is mandatory to move to the right if the signs / markings from the right lane allow only to the right? Judging by the context of clauses 24.8 and 8.5, probably not. After all, 24.8 does not prohibit left on single-lane doors, and 8.5 requires you to take an extreme position, not a lane, but a position. That is, it is allowed to leave from the right edge if necessary, and therefore change lanes from which you can go straight, if from the right only to the right.

2. Clause 24.2 allows movement along the side of the road only if it is impossible to move along the right edge of the inverter, although for mopeds and horse-drawn carts the old wording "driving along the side of the road is allowed if this does not interfere with pedestrians." It would not be better to keep this in paragraph 24.2,

2. It is better to send such proposals directly to the Government of the Russian Federation, because It is the employees of this department who are involved in the drafting of the text of traffic rules.

3. An interesting question. Paragraph 24.11 refers to the priority of cyclists over mechanical vehicles. This paragraph does not say anything about priority at intersections. Therefore, it turns out to be unclear what exactly drivers and cyclists should be guided by at intersections (section 13 or paragraph 24.11).

Good luck on the roads!

Bicycle

The one who "arrived" faster is always to blame. Ride your bike wherever you want, just don’t interfere with anyone on purpose and don’t bump into anyone with a specialist, otherwise you will kill yourself and scratch others. "And where other people's rules begin, your personal freedom ends there"

Not sure if the fault lies entirely with the cyclist. To recover damages - according to Article 1064 of the Civil Code of the Russian Federation.

There used to be a rule that cyclists should move towards the flow, that is, in the opposite direction, whatever. This wonderful rule was canceled ???

Anton-150, p 24.2 SDA admits the movement of cyclists only on the right edge of the inverter.

Adding a comment

In order for the two-wheeled bicycle not to fall, you need to constantly maintain balance. Since the bicycle footprint is very small (in the case of two-wheeled bicycle is just a straight line drawn through two points where the wheels touch the ground), such a bicycle can only be in dynamic equilibrium. This is achieved by steering: if the bike leans, the cyclist deflects the steering wheel in the same direction. As a result, the bike begins to turn, and the centrifugal force returns the bike to an upright position. This process is continuous, so the two-wheeled bicycle cannot go strictly straight; If you fix the steering wheel, the bike will definitely fall. The higher the speed, the greater the centrifugal force and the less you need to deflect the steering wheel to maintain balance.

When turning, you need to tilt the bike in the direction of the turn so that the sum of gravity and centrifugal force passes through the line of support. Otherwise, the centrifugal force will tip the bike in the opposite direction. Just like when driving in a straight line, it is impossible to ideally maintain such an inclination, and steering is carried out in exactly the same way, only the position of dynamic equilibrium is shifted, taking into account the centrifugal force that has arisen.

The bike's steering design makes it easier to maintain balance. The axis of rotation of the steering wheel is not vertical, but tilted back. In addition, it passes below the axis of rotation front wheel and ahead of the point where the wheel touches the ground. This design accomplishes two goals.

• When the front wheel of a moving bicycle accidentally deviates from the neutral position, a frictional moment occurs about the steering axle, which returns the wheel to the neutral position.

• If you lean the bike, a moment of force develops, turning the front wheel in the direction of the lean. This moment is caused by the reaction force of the support. It is applied to the point where the wheel touches the ground and points upward. Because the steer axle does not pass through this point, when the bike leans, the ground reaction force shifts relative to the steer axle.

Thus, automatic steering is carried out, helping to maintain balance. If the bike accidentally leans, then the front wheel turns in the same direction, the bike begins to turn, the centrifugal force returns it to the vertical position, and the friction force returns the front wheel back to the neutral position. Thanks to this, you can ride a bicycle without any problems without any problems. The bike itself maintains balance. By shifting the center of gravity to the side, you can maintain a constant lean of the bike and make a turn.

It can be seen that the ability of a bicycle to maintain dynamic balance on its own depends on the design of the steering fork. The determining factor is the shoulder of the reaction of the wheel support, that is, the length of the perpendicular lowered from the point of contact of the ground wheel to the axis of rotation of the fork; or, equivalently, but easier to measure, the distance from the point of contact of the wheel to the point of intersection of the axis of rotation of the fork with the ground. Thus, for the same wheel, the resulting moment will be the higher, the greater the inclination of the axis of rotation of the fork. However, to achieve optimal dynamic characteristics, it is not the maximum torque that is needed, but a strictly defined one: if too small a moment leads to difficulty in maintaining balance, then too much torque leads to oscillatory instability, in particular, “shimmy” (see below). Therefore, the position of the wheel axle relative to the fork axle is carefully chosen in the design; many bicycle forks are cambered or simply moved forward to reduce excess torque.

At high speeds (starting from about 30 km / h), the front wheel may experience a so-called. speed wobbles, or "shimmy" is a phenomenon well known in aviation. With this phenomenon, the wheel spontaneously wags to the right and left. High-speed wobbling is most dangerous when riding "hands off" (that is, when the cyclist rides without holding on to the steering wheel). The reason for high-speed wobbling is not a poor assembly or weak front wheel mounting, they are caused by resonance. Speed ​​wobbling is easy to extinguish by slowing down or changing posture, but if not done, it can be deadly.

At high speeds, the counter-steering technique familiar to motorcyclists can be used to steer the bike. Gently push the right handle of the steering wheel away from you, and hold it in this position - turn to the right. We push the left one away from us - we turn left.

Cycling is more efficient (in terms of energy costs per kilometer) than walking and driving. Bicycling at 30 km/h burns 15 kcal/km (kilocalories per kilometer), or 450 kcal/h (kilocalories per hour). When walking at a speed of 5 km / h, 60 kcal / km or 300 kcal / h are burned, that is, cycling four times more efficient than walking energy consumption per unit distance. Since cycling burns more calories per hour, it is also the best sports load. When running, the cost of calories per hour is even higher. Be aware that the impact of running, as well as incorrect cycling (for example, riding uphill in high gears, hypothermia of the knees, lack of sufficient fluid, etc.) can injure the knees and ankle joint. A trained male, who is not a professional athlete, can develop a power of 250 watts, or 1/3 hp, for a long time. from. This corresponds to a speed of 30-50 km / h on a flat road. A woman can develop less absolute power, but more power per unit of weight. Since on a flat road almost all the power is spent on overcoming air resistance, and when driving uphill, the main cost is overcoming gravity, women, other things being equal, drive slower on level ground and faster uphill.

Calorie consumption must be calculated per kilogram of body weight. 4 km / h - 0.04; 10 km / h - 0.07; 15 km / h - 0.11; 20 km / h - 0.14; 30 km / h - 0.18; then multiply the selected coefficient by body weight, and we get the calorie consumption per minute. For example, I drove for 2.5 hours at an average speed of 30 km / h, my weight is 95 kg, total 0.18 * 95 * 150 = 2565 kcal. Some add the mass of a bicycle to their own weight, which is quite controversial. In any case, only approximate data can be obtained.

In order for the two-wheeled bicycle not to fall, you need to constantly maintain balance. Since the footprint of a bicycle is very small (in the case of a two-wheeled bicycle, it is just a straight line drawn through two points where the wheels touch the ground), such a bicycle can only be in dynamic equilibrium. This is achieved by steering: if the bike leans, the cyclist deflects the steering wheel in the same direction. As a result, the bike begins to turn and the centrifugal force returns the bike to an upright position. This process is continuous, so the two-wheeled bicycle cannot go strictly straight; If you fix the steering wheel, the bike will definitely fall. The higher the speed, the greater the centrifugal force and the less you need to deflect the steering wheel to maintain balance.

When turning, you need to tilt the bike in the direction of the turn so that the sum of gravity and centrifugal force passes through the line of support. Otherwise, the centrifugal force will tip the bike in the opposite direction. Just like when driving in a straight line, it is impossible to ideally maintain such an inclination, and steering is carried out in exactly the same way, only the position of dynamic equilibrium is shifted, taking into account the centrifugal force that has arisen. The bike's steering design makes it easier to maintain balance. The axis of rotation of the steering wheel is not vertical, but tilted back. In addition, it passes below the axis of rotation of the front wheel and ahead of the point where the wheel touches the ground.

This design achieves two goals:

If the front wheel accidentally deviates from the neutral position, a frictional moment occurs relative to the steering axle, which returns the wheel back to the neutral position.

If you lean the bike, a moment of force develops, turning the front wheel in the direction of the lean. This moment is caused by the reaction force of the support. It is applied to the point where the wheel touches the ground and points upward. Because the steer axle does not pass through this point, when the bike leans, the reaction force of the support is displaced relative to the steer axle.

Thus, automatic steering is carried out, helping to maintain balance. If the bike accidentally leans, then the front wheel turns in the same direction, the bike begins to turn, the centrifugal force returns it to the vertical position, and the friction force returns the front wheel back to the neutral position. Thanks to this, you can ride a bike "without hands". The bike itself maintains balance. By shifting the center of gravity to the side, you can maintain a constant lean of the bike and make a turn.

It can be seen that the ability of a bicycle to maintain dynamic balance on its own depends on the design of the steering fork. The determining factor is the shoulder of the reaction of the wheel support, that is, the length of the perpendicular lowered from the point of contact of the ground wheel to the axis of rotation of the fork; or, equivalently, but easier to measure, the distance from the wheel's point of contact to the point where the fork's axis of rotation intersects with the ground. Thus, for the same wheel, the resulting moment will be the higher, the greater the inclination of the axis of rotation of the fork. However, to achieve optimal dynamic characteristics, it is not the maximum torque that is needed, but a strictly defined one: if too small a moment leads to difficulty in maintaining balance, then too much torque leads to oscillatory instability, in particular, “shimmy” (see below). Therefore, the position of the wheel axle relative to the fork axle is carefully chosen in the design; many bicycle forks are cambered or simply moved forward to reduce excess torque.

The widespread opinion about the significant influence of the gyroscopic moment of rotating wheels on the maintenance of balance is incorrect. At high speeds (starting from about 30 km / h), the front wheel may experience a so-called. speed wobbles, or "shimmy" is a phenomenon well known in aviation. With this phenomenon, the wheel spontaneously wags to the right and left. High-speed wobbling is most dangerous when riding "hands off" (that is, when the cyclist rides without holding on to the steering wheel). The reason for high-speed wobbling is not a bad assembly or a weak front wheel mount, they are caused by resonance. Speed ​​wobbling is easy to extinguish by slowing down or changing posture, but if not done, it can be deadly.

Cycling is more efficient (in terms of energy costs per kilometer) than both walking and driving. Bicycling at 30 km/h burns 15 kcal/km (kilocalories per kilometer), or 450 kcal/h (kilocalories per hour). When walking at a speed of 5 km / h, 60 kcal / km or 300 kcal / h are burned, that is, cycling is four times more efficient than walking in terms of energy costs per unit distance. Since cycling burns more calories per hour, it is also the best exercise. (Running costs even more calories per hour, but the vibration injures the knees and ankles.) A trained male, who is not a professional athlete, can develop 250 watts, or 1/3 hp, for a long time. This corresponds to a speed of 30-50 km/h on a flat road. A woman can develop less power, but more power per unit of weight. Since on a flat road almost all the power is spent on overcoming air resistance, and when driving uphill, the main cost is to overcome gravity, women, other things being equal, drive slower on level ground and faster uphill.