From Philip Dempster
David Boswell shifts focus from machine to rider when describing how to stay upright on a bicycle (Letters, 26 September). Years ago, an infection substantially affected my inner ear function. Later, improved yet still impaired, I cautiously attempted to ride my bicycle. As if by magic, all sense of impairment vanished. I realised then that inner ear function plays no role in controlling a bicycle. The useful cues are visual.
The inner ear by itself cannot tell whether you are on a corner. This is analogous to a pilot’s need for an artificial horizon in cloud.
Concord, California, US
