How Does a Bike Work?
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Tour De France?
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You don't have to be Lance Armstrong to enjoy a nice bike ride. He may be a seven-time Tour De France winner, but riding a bike has been part of modern society since the first bicycle appeared in the early 1800s.
Construction and Riding
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The basic modern bicycle is made of two rubber wheels attached to a metal or aluminum frame. The rear wheel is connected to at least one gear on a crank by a drive chain. The main gear has two pedals, which are aligned below the bicycle seat. On top of the front wheel is a shaft with a horizontal bar connected to it for steering.
To begin, a bike rider would mount the bicycle by sitting on the seat and getting a good grip on the handlebars. He would then place one foot on a pedal. The rider would place his other foot on the empty pedal and then push forward with his feet, maintaining contact as the chain drives the rear wheel forward. Riders would use the handlebar to assist in maintaining good balance. Should a rider want to stop, he would typically pedal backwards. If the bike has a caliper brake system, the rider would squeeze the brakes mounted on the handlebars. The caliper brake would then force two rubber pads (one on each side of the rear wheel) onto the bicycle tire.
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Bicycle Variations
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There are several variations of the bicycle that are available to prospective bike riders. For those who want to learn without as much fear of falling, there are bicycles with plastic training wheels fixated on each side of the rear wheel. The training wheels are set slightly above the rear wheel so that if a rider starts to lose balance, the training wheels help keep them upright. For bikers that want help pedaling, there are bicycles made for two people that have an additional seat, crank and pedal set. More advanced bicycles can have several gears on the crank so that they can adjust the pedal friction based on the riding surface grade. Other bikes are built for more rugged travel with heavier frames, while bikers who like to do tricks can pick bicycles with horizontal pegs attached to the rear wheel frame and a more free-wheeling steering shaft.
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