The Bicycle – a Life Long Partner
A bicycle is a human power-driven vehicle that has a frame connected with two wheels and that is
driven by a pedal. Bicycles were first introduced in the 19th century and it is demanded that presently there are approximately about
one billion bicycles worldwide, outnumbering automobiles 2 to 1. Bicycles being the main method of carry in many corners of the globe, the bicycle is also majorly used for other recreational actions and for the purpose of fitness and even in the case of law enforcement actions such as petrolling an area.
The Story of Bicycles
Ever since the chain driven model was introduced to the market, the key
innovation of the bicycle had remained unchanged up to day. But, other advances such as using computers to pattern
and check the stability have been made to the bicycle from its inventing process. These methods have greatly aided the spawn of
particularized bicycles for particular purposes such as racing, utility and law enforcement uses. In addition, many of the parts that played a
major role in the development of motorcars for instance, ball bearings, pneumatic tires and spoke tensioned wheels were initially intended for
the bicycle.
Features of a Bicycle
When citing to bicycles, the dynamics of the bicycle should be viewed first. Bicycle needs its centre of gravity in order to be in its space. So it reaches this by moving forward
using the steering which offers some balance to the rider. Additionally, in order to navigate successfully the body of the rider must balance out the dynamics,
particularly at turns. A technique mentioned to as counter-steering is used to attain this task by directly turning the handlebars with the hands
or indirectly leaning or slanting the bicycle.
Bicycle can be classified as an exceedingly
cost-efficient machine looked at in both biological and mechanical view point. Energy needed from the rider for the bicycle to perform its
questions are high on the list but given the distance that a bicycle can take you through without fuel, it becomes a
worthwhile journey at the end. Nearly, 99% of the energy is expressed to the wheels of the bicycle when a
rider exerts energy into the pedals. Nevertheless when gears mechanisms are used this figure may drop by 10-15%.A rider using a bicycle
experiences air drag or the resistive force that is exerted by air. 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 mechanics, seating, drivetrain, suspension, wheels and brakes. Certain bicycles may include optional
mechanisms such as gearing which uses various sizes of gears to obtain a mechanical advantage from the bicycle. Using gears a rider can produce a higher power output with a relatively low
power input and thus, maximising the efficiency of the bicycle.
