As you tilt a bike, the effect of trailing on steering increases (i.e. rotational force). This effect is cumulative over time (the velocity of the handlebars turning changes their position in each successive instant; plus the force causes acceleration, increasing the velocity).
Small effects become big effects: I would expect that any trailing would induce sufficient steering effects, and so even 4mm trailing is not "negligible".
Hmmm.... you could test this with a "skate bike" - no wheels, just blades on ice, but with a curved front-blade, free to steer, to facilitate "trailing".
But this seems obvious, and it looks like they have been very thorough, so I'm probably missing something (I haven't read their full paper).
* Stabilization occurs because when the front wheel steers that way, it guides the whole bike in a curve, which creates force tilting the bike in the other direction - therefore righting it.
As you tilt a bike, the effect of trailing on steering increases (i.e. rotational force). This effect is cumulative over time (the velocity of the handlebars turning changes their position in each successive instant; plus the force causes acceleration, increasing the velocity). Small effects become big effects: I would expect that any trailing would induce sufficient steering effects, and so even 4mm trailing is not "negligible".
Hmmm.... you could test this with a "skate bike" - no wheels, just blades on ice, but with a curved front-blade, free to steer, to facilitate "trailing".
But this seems obvious, and it looks like they have been very thorough, so I'm probably missing something (I haven't read their full paper).
* Stabilization occurs because when the front wheel steers that way, it guides the whole bike in a curve, which creates force tilting the bike in the other direction - therefore righting it.