A novel approach to bicycle design for handling qualities is presented. The design method is introduced through a case study in which a new front-wheel drive recumbent bicycle is developed. Since there exists no proper definition nor assessment for bicycle handling qualities, design process is based on comparing the uncontrolled dynamics of the new concepts to an existing design, known to handle well. A prototype was built and road test were conducted to compare the handling before being taken into production. The new design shows comparable handling.

This paper gives an overview on handling aspects in bicycle and motorcycle control, from both theoretical and experimental points of view. Parallels are drawn with the literature on aircraft handling. The paper concludes with the open ends and promising directions for future work in the field of handling and control of single track vehicles.

In this paper, an experimental validation of the lateral dynamics of a bicycle running on a treadmill is presented. From a theoretical point of view, bicycling straight ahead on a treadmill with constant belt velocity should be identical to bicycling on flat level ground with constant forward speed. However, two major differences remain: first, stiffnesses of the contact of the tire with the belt compared to the contact on flat level ground; second, the belt velocity is fixed with respect to the world, irrespective of the change in heading of the bicycle on the treadmill. The admissibility of these two differences is checked by comparing experimental results with numerical simulation results. The numerical simulations are performed on a three-degree-of-freedom benchmarked bicycle model [1]. For the validation we consider the linearized equations of motion for small perturbations of the upright steady forward motion. This model has been validated experimentally in a previous work [2]. The experimental system consists of an instrumented bicycle without a rider on a large treadmill. Sensors are present for measuring the roll rate, yaw rate, steering angle, and rear wheel rotation. Measurements are recorded for the case in which the laterally perturbed bicycle coasts freely on the treadmill. From these measured data, eigenvalues are extracted by means of curve fitting. These eigenvalues are then compared with the results from the linearized equations of motion of the model. As a result, the model appeared to be accurate within the normal bicycling speed range, and in particular the transition from stable to unstable weave motion was very well predicted.

In this paper, an experimental validation of some modelling aspects of an uncontrolled bicycle is presented. In numerical models, many physical aspects of the real bicycle are considered negligible, such as the flexibility of the frame and wheels, play in the bearings, and precise tire characteristics. The admissibility of these assumptions has been checked by comparing experimental results with numerical simulation results. The numerical simulations were performed on a three-degree-of-freedom benchmarked bicycle model. For the validation we considered the linearized equations of motion for small perturbations of the upright steady forward motion. The most dubious assumption that was validated in this model was the replacement of the tires by knife-edge wheels rolling without slipping (non-holonomic constraints). The experimental system consisted of an instrumented bicycle without rider. Sensors were present for measuring the roll rate, yaw rate, steering angle, and rear wheel rotation. Measurements were recorded for the case in which the bicycle coasted freely on a level surface. From these measured data, eigenvalues were extracted by means of curve fitting. These eigenvalues were then compared with the results from the linearized equations of motion of the model. As a result, the model appeared to be fairly accurate for the low-speed low-frequency behaviour.