[michaelteter]

I have taught several kids to ride bikes. My instructions were very simple: ride, and if the bike starts tipping to one side, turn the handlebars that way.

With humans, that's about all you need to say. You very quickly feel how the lean changes based on the steering input, so righting yourself becomes obvious. And when you inevitably overdo it and end up leaning the opposite way, you turn the bars that new direction. WOBBLE WOBble wobble straight.

[itronitron]

Do the same steering physics apply to riding a bicycle on rollers? That's so much more difficult I wouldn't be surprised if the fundamental steering behavior is changed somehow.

[sritchie]

Iirc what makes rollers so tough is that the contact patch is much shorter on the roller than on the road, so the wheel turns more easily. Your reactions need to be that much quicker.

I had a winter of long roller rides (3.5 hours was the longest) and by the time I hit the road again I could ride on the white line with no effort. I think the dynamics are the same, just higher stakes on the rollers!

[samstave]

This is one of the challenges of riding on such a thin (narrow) line (like a plank - or even just the painted line on the side of the road) is so difficult.

The thing is that in order keep a srtraight line on a very narrow path, you need much finer motor control of your arms, a good 'feel' for your bike, some good components, and the ability to remember to be able to look farther in front of the bike, but keep your awareness of where you are steering based on your inputs to the bike, but not looking down.

If you want to be impressed by one of the best in the world at steering difficult scary /r/sweatypalms courses:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC9kOkY1nYc0uADWRiRH64Rw

Watch the "do a wheeelie" vid on his YT home -- doing a wheelie on a train-rail, and jumping to the other train-rail without losing your wheelie or momentum - but all his vids are mind blowing.

[soperj]

So same thing as spinning on black ice in a car.

[wiml]

Same instructions, different reason. In a skid, your tires have lost traction and are no longer pointing in the direction they're moving. You steer into the skid to return to the usual "static friction" regime instead of the "dynamic friction" state of the skid. Only once your tires are gripping the road again do you have much ability to control your direction.