Originally Posted by
One Wheel
It's not directly opposing forward motion, but overcoming gyroscopic force requires energy that could otherwise go toward increasing forward motion.
The rocking motion only occurs to maintain dynamic balance when exerting high pedal forces. If anything the trivial gyro force helps with the balance.
Take a look at the dedicated sprint trainer in this video. It has massive lateral support arms and dampers to simulate the rocking resistance. Does the force exerted on those lateral arms reduce the power produced at the crank or does it aid in generating it?
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y0Bw5OnHQrM