Biclycle - a Life Saver?
December 15th, 2009Being one of the most basic human powered vehicles, the bicycle has two wheels affiliated to a vehicle that
is driven by a pedal. Bicycles were first introduced in the 19th century and it is asked that presently there are approximately about
one billion bicycles worldwide, outnumbering cars 2 to 1. In many areas of the world, bicycles are the main method of carry. Although
the primary use of the bicycle is as a means of carry, it has developed other uses including recreational actions, fitness activities
law enforcement applications and competitive sports.
The Story of Bicycles
Since the inception of the chain-driven model in around 1885, the key pattern and the shape of a
typical bicycle has remained relatively unchanged. But, other advances such as using computers to innovation
and check the stability have been made to the bicycle from its inventing process. These methods have greatly aided the spawn of
specified bicycles for particular purposes such as racing, utility and law enforcement uses. Additionally, the concept of the bicycle has up to a great extent extended its contribution for the development of machines by introducing concepts such as ball bearings, pneumatic tires and spoke tensioned wheels.
What to Look for In a Bicycle
When relating to bicycles, the dynamics of the bicycle should be thought first. A bicycle has to maintain its center of gravity over the wheels in order to stay upright or balanced.
Therefore, it attains this by the moving forward using the steering which is ordinarily provided by the rider
and sometimes even by the bicycle itself. In addition in order to successfully pilot a turn, the combined or full center of mass
of both the bicycle and the rider must lean into the turn. Counter-steering is a task that is used in this regard.
Through both biological and mechanical view points, the bicycle is an super
competent machine. When
comparison the energy an individual must spend to travel a given distance, the bicycle is stated to be the most efficiently
running self powered method of transportation. The bicycle wheels carry nearly 99% of the energy because the rider exerts energy to pedals. But in
bicycles that have gear mechanisms, the energy needed will be diminished Nevertheless the air drag faced by the rider will
always remain a problem. At higher speeds, significantly greater power outputs are needed to overcome the air drag. When a rider is sitting in an upright position, the
body of the rider accounts for nearly 75% of the full drag practiced by the bicycle and rider combined. The only way to reduce the air drag is to importantly reduce the position to supine or prone that is in line with aerodynamics.
The main
features of a bicycle are frame, steering mechanisms, seating, drivetrain, suspension, wheels and brakes. Some
bicycles use optional mechanics to get advantage for the dynamics of the bicycle. By using gears, the efficiency of the bicycle can be increased by descreasing effort and increasing output.
