Learning to ride a bicycle is a quintessential childhood experience, often cited as the perfect example of a skill that, once mastered, is never truly lost. But what is the science behind this enduring ability? According to Dr. Hubbard, understanding bicycle riding comes down to a fundamental engineering principle known as a control law. He explains that when a cyclist starts to fall, their brain instinctively knows what to do: “if I’m falling to the right, what do I do, I turn the wheels to the right.” This constant, subtle adjustment and balancing act is the brain’s way of keeping the bicycle upright and moving forward. Even if riders aren’t consciously aware of complex mathematical equations, their brains are performing these calculations in real-time.
Researchers like Dr. Hubbard and Dr. Hess have developed models to understand this process. They found that the human brain processes various streams of information to generate a “control signal,” which translates into the force applied to the handlebars. This model was even used to build a self-righting bicycle, demonstrating the practical application of these equations. Interestingly, the model predicted a subtle steering maneuver – a small turn in the opposite direction before a larger turn – which Dr. Hess observed in skilled cyclists, further validating their findings.
While riding a bike might seem intuitive after learning, the process itself is neurologically complex. Dr. Hubbard likens it to a child learning to stand, a process of developing muscle control for balance. Larry Squire, a distinguished professor at the University of California, San Diego, categorizes this type of learning as “habit learning or skill learning,” distinguishing it from “declarative learning,” which involves facts and events.
Declarative learning, responsible for remembering facts and events, is primarily located in the hippocampus. In contrast, habit and skill-based learning, such as riding a bicycle, reside in a different brain region: the basal ganglia. Dr. Squire explains that this type of learning is largely unconscious. We may not be able to articulate exactly how we balance or steer, yet this deeply ingrained memory allows us to hop on a bike years later and ride as if no time has passed. This enduring nature of bike riding, therefore, is rooted in the fundamental way our brains learn and retain motor skills through habit formation in the basal ganglia.
