---
title: 'The Backwards Brain Tractor - Smarter Every Day 305'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=lylCYkgC63Q'
video_id: 'lylCYkgC63Q'
date: 2026-05-26
duration_sec: 598
---

# The Backwards Brain Tractor - Smarter Every Day 305

> Source: [The Backwards Brain Tractor - Smarter Every Day 305](https://youtube.com/watch?v=lylCYkgC63Q)

## Summary

Destin from Smarter Every Day explores the concept of the backwards brain bicycle applied to a tractor. After fixing a steering issue, he discovers his brain has adapted to ride a vehicle with reversed steering instantly, highlighting the power of focused learning and cognitive adaptation.

### Key Points

- **Tractor steering fixed** [00:04] — Destin fixed the tractor but the steering is reversed, causing the tractor to turn opposite to the wheel direction.
- **Brain adaptation from bicycle** [00:35] — Destin's brain adapted quickly to the reversed tractor steering because of his prior experience with the backwards brain bicycle.
- **Backwards brain bicycle concept** [01:04] — The backwards brain bicycle has handlebars that turn the wheel opposite direction, making it very hard to ride due to cognitive bias.
- **Focused learning speeds up skill acquisition** [02:12] — Friends who were determined to learn the backwards bicycle could do it in days, while Destin took eight months without focused practice.
- **Mike Boyd learned in an hour** [02:37] — Destin challenged Mike Boyd to learn the backwards bicycle; Mike learned it in an hour, showing exceptional learning ability.
- **Instant adaptation to tractor** [03:05] — Destin could instantly ride the backwards tractor without learning, because his brain already had the reversed steering algorithm.
- **Dual-mode bicycle** [03:31] — Destin has a bicycle that can switch between normal and backwards mode; he can ride both, though initially wobbly.
- **Drone pilots ride backwards bike quickly** [09:05] — People who can ride the backwards bike immediately, like Laser Saber and Carl, are drone pilots who invert things in their head.

### Conclusion

The backwards brain bicycle and tractor demonstrate that focused, dedicated learning can dramatically speed up skill acquisition, and that once learned, the skill persists. Drone pilots seem to have an advantage due to their ability to mentally invert controls.

## Transcript

Good news, I fixed the tractor. Except watch this.
brain bicycle, only a tractor. Oh, man. The steering cylinder was out. Actually, I've been amazed at how quickly my brain
has adapted because of the bicycle. Seriously. Seriously. Like I can I can do it.
I got the I got it repaired. I'll show you what I did.
These are swapped. I got to fix that. make. But first, if you're not familiar with the concept of the backwards brain
bicycle, that's it. And years ago, I made this video. It's pretty cool top, and when you turn the handlebars one way, the wheel will go the opposite direction. So, the thing about this is it's very very hard to ride. Your brain
has a hard time getting over your own brain, and it's fascinating. Had I realized at the time that I made that video that so many people all over the world would be able to relate to that video and understand cognitive bias in a
new way because of this metaphor, I would have changed the video just a little bit. For example, there's one moment in the video where I say it took me 8 months to learn how to ride this bike. In two weeks he did something that
took me eight months to do. I'm just get on the bike up at the driveway up and back every so often, but yeah, that took about eight months, but I wasn't locked in. And what I found over the years that I've had friends that have come up to
They're like, "Give me the bike. I'm angry because I can't ride it. I'm going to focus I'm going to learn how to do it." And they are able to do it in a few days. And that's fascinating to me. There's something about the quality of
the dedication you have to the learning of the thing that affects your ability And I think that's fascinating. Years ago I wanted to test this, so I mailed one to Mike Boyd and challenged him to learn it by locking in and seeing what
he could do. He learned it in an hour, which is absolutely remarkable. Now, Mike is not normal. He has the ability to learn very complicated things quickly probably helped him along the way. But at the end of this video, I'll tell you
about a common thread between people who can do this instantly or in minutes at articles written using this as a metaphor and there's something there because I'm not a neuroscientist or anything. There's something about how
focused you are on the learning that affects your ability to do something like when I got on the tractor, the backwards tractor, when I got on that thing, I instantly could do it. I didn't have to learn anything. I already had
somebody asked me last night, "Can you still ride that bicycle?" And the answer is yes. In fact, I have this really cool bicycle and you can just ride it in normal bicycle mode or you can pull this
pin and change it to backwards brain bicycle mode and I can ride it in both modes. What's interesting is when I hop on this bike, I'm wobbly for a foot or so and then my brain will pick which algorithm I'm supposed to be using and I
can just do it. It's fascinating, which tells me that once you learn this, you kind of keep it. Now, some people that I know, they've tried to learn this stuff and they didn't stick with it very much. So, it's harder for them to keep the
skill, but it seems to be something that persists once you build that pathway in Mannion and Mike who reached out and offered to help many years ago. So, they interchangeable bicycle. Thank you so much, guys. I appreciate it. Okay, it's
time for the announcement. Every year here on Smarter Every Day, I create what's called the Smarter Every Day Sticker Team and it's my way of saying Every Day that support at patreon.com/smartereveryday.
their stickers. You get it? It's a dad joke. Anyway, so it's also my way of trying to create artificial scarcity. So, basically, if you jump on the year's sticker team. For example, the first year we were the supersonic
baseball sticker team. After that, we were the JWST space team. We've done the exploration team. This year, we have three stickers cuz we figured out during the space team years that people like the little stickers, too. People have
sent me photos of them sticking these stickers all over things. For example, this year's first small sticker, there's three stickers. This year's first small sticker is good for playing pranks on people. For example, let's say your son
to come in the mail and you were to intercept it before he got it. So, the first sticker is a cicada. Now, we had a cicada thing happen this year in the US and so I've spent This looks like a cicada with a white border. That
doesn't look real, does it? But, what you realize is this is actually a transparent sticker and it actually looks like a cicada. So, when you put it on something, it kind of makes you do a double take. You're like, wait, what is
what is that? It looks really cool. So, when you put this thing like on a wall somewhere, it looks like some random thing is stuck there and it confuses people and I have had way more fun with these stickers than I care to admit.
the first sticker. The second sticker, you may recall during the eclipse this year, I I worked really hard to take this really cool film photo on one piece of film. Now, I tried to get that sticker on like I tried to get that
out. So, we made a graphic representation of it. This form factor's pretty cool. This long sticker ends up working really well on like a laptop or maybe on a lunch box or something like that. But, I really enjoy seeing where
people put their stickers. People have sent in photos over the years of where to see where people end up putting the sticker. The big sticker this year, the name of the team this year we're calling it the Smarter Every Day Discovery Team
and it's just a hodgepodge of all the stuff we've studied this year on Smarter lost a rocket, we've got the eclipse. It's a really, really cool sticker to commemorate what we've done this year together. I would love it if you would
consider supporting Smarter Every Day on Patreon at patreon.com/smartereveryday. It's a really big deal because when you support I'm trying to pick up a cicada cuz when you support Smarter Every Day on Patreon, that frees me from of the
algorithm, allows me to take the time to make videos about things I really, really like. So, there's a few videos I did this year that I knew weren't going they were very important to me and I think authenticity is key and I want to
continue to make intelligent, respectful content and I'm grateful to everybody that supports on Patreon cuz you really allow me to do that. So, everybody year, I'm physically going to mail you these stickers to your house and you'll
you can't just put a sticker in a drawer. It needs to be stuck. That's what stickers want to do. So, anyway, supports on Patreon patreon.com/smartereveryday
and I think a good way to end this video is to drive some more backwards things, in this case, it's the backwards tractor. Here we go. Put it in gear. Go forward, turn the wheel to the left.
Go forward, turn the wheel to the left. The tractor goes TO THE RIGHT. OH, MAN. OH.
It's hilarious. I got to go switch switch those hoses now, but it for the switch those hoses now, but it for the time being, it's very funny.
I thought you'd enjoy that. I'm destined to get smarter every day. Have a good one. thumbnail for the video. And um
it was out of steering fluid, even though I swapped the connectors. So, clearly I I have a a hard time getting this tractor running. But, a couple things I wanted to say, uh while preparing this video, I realized that
made videos about the backwards brain bicycle. There's one guy on YouTube, his name is Laser Saber. He made a video about being able to ride it almost immediately. And also, Carl, who did the remote control helicopter stuff for us
during the helicopter series way back in the day, he could do it very quickly. People that seem to be able to ride the bike immediately all have one thing in common. They're drone pilots. They seem to be able to do this way quicker than
something to do with the fact that they invert things in their head. They can fly things inverted. And I thought that was really cool. I just wanted to note that. Turns out power steering systems like fluid. That's good.
like fluid. That's good. Also, that nut is loose there.