INTRODUCTION OF BICYCLE history of cycling

1886 Swift Safety Bicycle

Vehicles for human transport that have two wheels and

require balancing by the
rider date back to the early 19th century. The first means of transport making use of two
wheels arranged consecutively, and thus the archetype of the bicycle, was the
German draisine dating back to 1817. The term bicycle was coined in France in the
1860s.

Earliest unverified bicycle

Replica made 1965-72 from the alleged 1493 Caprotti sketch.

There are several early but unverified claims for the invention of the bicycle.
The earliest comes from a sketch said to be from 1534 and attributed to Gian Giacomo
Caprotti, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci. In 1998 Hans-Erhard Lessing described this as a
purposeful fraud.[1][2] However, the authenticity of the bicycle sketch is still vigorously
maintained by followers of Prof. Augusto Marinoni, a lexicographer and philologist, who
was entrusted by the Commissione Vinciana of Rome with the transcription of
Leonardo's Codex Atlanticus.[3][4]
Later, and equally unverified, is the contention that a certain "Comte de Sivrac" developed
a célérifère in 1792, demonstrating it at the Palais-Royal in France.
The célérifère supposedly had two wheels set on a rigid wooden frame and no steering,
directional control being limited to that attainable by leaning.[5] A rider was said to have sat
astride the machine and pushed it along using alternate feet. It is now thought that the two-
wheeled célérifère never existed (though there were four-wheelers) and it was instead a
misinterpretation by the well-known French journalist Louis Baudry de Saunier in 1891.[6][7]
1817 to 1819: the draisine or velocipede

Wooden draisine (around 1820), the earliest two-wheeler

 Drais' 1817 design made to measure

The first verifiable claim for a practically used bicycle belongs to German Baron Karl von
Drais, a civil servant to the Grand Duke of Baden in Germany. Drais invented
his Laufmaschine (German for "running machine") in 1817, that was
called Draisine (English) or draisienne (French) by the press. Karl von Drais patented this
design in 1818, which was the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable,
human-propelled machine, commonly called a velocipede, and nicknamed hobby-horse
or dandy horse.[8] It was initially manufactured in Germany and France. Hans-Erhard
Lessing (Drais' biographer) found from circumstantial evidence that Drais' interest in
finding an alternative to the horse was the starvation and death of horses caused by crop
failure in 1816, the Year Without a Summer following the volcanic eruption of Tambora in
1815).[9] On his first reported ride from Mannheim on June 12, 1817, he covered 13 km
(eight miles) in less than an hour.[10]Constructed almost entirely of wood, the draisine
weighed 22 kg (48 pounds), had brass bushings within the wheel bearings, iron shod
wheels, a rear-wheel brake and 152 mm (6 inches) of trail of the front-wheel for a self-
centering castereffect. This design was welcomed by mechanically minded men daring to
balance, and several thousand copies were built and used, primarily in Western Europe and
in North America. Its popularity rapidly faded when, partly due to increasing numbers of
accidents, some city authorities began to prohibit its use. However, in 1866 Paris a Chinese
visitor named Bin Chun could still observe foot-pushed velocipedes.[11]

Denis Johnson's son riding a velocipede, Lithograph 1819.

The concept was picked up by a number of British cartwrights; the most notable was Denis
Johnson of London announcing in late 1818 that he would sell an improved model.[12] New
names were introduced when Johnson patented his machine “pedestrian curricle” or
“velocipede,” but the public preferred nicknames like “hobby-horse,” after the children’s
toy or, worse still, “dandyhorse,” after the foppish men who often rode them. [8] Johnson's
machine was an improvement on Drais's, being notably more elegant: his wooden frame had
a serpentine shape instead of Drais's straight one, allowing the use of larger wheels without
raising the rider's seat. During the summer of 1819, the "hobby-horse", thanks in part to
Johnson's marketing skills and better patent protection, became the craze and fashion in
London society. The dandies, the Corinthians of the Regency, adopted it, and therefore the
poet John Keatsreferred to it as "the nothing" of the day. Riders wore out their boots
surprisingly rapidly, and the fashion ended within the year, after riders on pavements
(sidewalks) were fined two pounds.
Nevertheless, Drais' velocipede provided the basis for further developments: in fact, it was a
draisine which inspired a French metalworker around 1863 to add
rotary cranks and pedals to the front-wheel hub, to create the first pedal-operated "bicycle"
as we today understand the word.
1820s to 1850s: an era of 3 and 4-wheelers[edit]

A couple seated on an 1886 Coventry Rotary Quadracycle for two.

McCall's first (top) and improved velocipede of 1869 - later predated to 1839 and attributed to
MacMillan

Though technically not part of two-wheel ("bicycle") history, the intervening decades of the
1820s-1850s witnessed many developments concerning human-powered vehicles often
using technologies similar to the draisine, even if the idea of a workable two-wheel design,
requiring the rider to balance, had been dismissed. These new machines had three wheels
(tricycles) or four (quadracycles) and came in a very wide variety of designs, using pedals,
treadles, and hand-cranks, but these designs often suffered from high weight and high
rolling resistance. However, Willard Sawyer in Dover successfully manufactured a range of
treadle-operated 4-wheel vehicles and exported them worldwide in the 1850s. [12]
1830s: the reported Scottish inventions[edit]
The first mechanically propelled two-wheel vehicle is believed by some to have been built
by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, in 1839. A nephew later claimed that his
uncle developed a rear-wheel drive design using mid-mounted treadles connected by rods to
a rear crank, similar to the transmission of a steam locomotive. Proponents associate him
with the first recorded instance of a bicycling traffic offence, when a Glasgow newspaper
reported in 1842 an accident in which an anonymous "gentleman from Dumfries-shire...
bestride a velocipede... of ingenious design" knocked over a pedestrian in the Gorbals and
was fined five British shillings. However, the evidence connecting this with MacMillan is
weak, since it is unlikely that the artisan MacMillan would have been termed a gentleman,
nor is the report clear on how many wheels the vehicle had. The evidence is unclear, and
may have been faked by his son.
A similar machine was said to have been produced by Gavin Dalzell of Lesmahagow, circa
1845. There is no record of Dalzell ever having laid claim to inventing the machine. It is
believed that he copied the idea having recognised the potential to help him with his local
drapery business and there is some evidence that he used the contraption to take his wares
into the rural community around his home. A replica still exists today in the Glasgow
Museum of Transport. The exhibit holds the honour of being the oldest bike in existence
today.[12] The first documented producer of rod-driven two-wheelers, treadle bicycles,
was Thomas McCall, of Kilmarnock in 1869. The design was inspired by the French front-
crank velocipede of the Lallement/Michaux type.[12]
1860s and the Michaux or "boneshaker"[edit]
The first really popular and commercially successful design was French. An example is at
the Museum of Science and Technology, Ottawa.[13] Initially developed around 1863, it
sparked a fashionable craze briefly during 1868-70. Its design was simpler than the
Macmillan bicycle; it used rotary cranks and pedals mounted to the front wheel hub.
Pedaling made it easier for riders to propel the machine at speed, but the rotational speed
limitation of this design created stability and comfort concerns which would lead to the
large front wheel of the "penny farthing". It was difficult to pedal the wheel that was used
for steering. The use of metal frames reduced the weight and provided sleeker, more elegant
designs, and also allowed mass-production. Different braking mechanisms were used
depending on the manufacturer. In England, the velocipede earned the name of "bone-
shaker" because of its rigid frame and iron-banded wheels that resulted in a "bone-shaking
experience for riders."
The velocipede's renaissance began in Paris during the late 1860s. Its early history is
complex and has been shrouded in some mystery, not least because of conflicting patent
claims: all that has been stated for sure is that a French metalworker attached pedals to the
front wheel; at present, the earliest year bicycle historians agree on is 1864. The identity of
the person who attached cranks is still an open question at International Cycling History
Conferences (ICHC). The claims of Ernest Michaux and of Pierre Lallement, and the lesser
claims of rear-pedaling Alexandre Lefebvre, have their supporters within the ICHC
community.

The original pedal-bicycle, with the serpentine frame, from Pierre Lallement's US Patent No.
59,915 drawing, 1866
 New York company Pickering and Davis invented this pedal-bicycle for ladies in 1869. [14][15]

Bicycle historian David V. Herlihy documents that Lallement claimed to have created the
pedal bicycle in Paris in 1863. He had seen someone riding a draisine in 1862 then
originally came up with the idea to add pedals to it. It is a fact that he filed the earliest and
only patent for a pedal-driven bicycle, in the US in 1866. Lallement's patent drawing shows
a machine which looks exactly like Johnson's draisine, but with the pedals and rotary cranks
attached to the front wheel hub, and a thin piece of iron over the top of the frame to act as a
spring supporting the seat, for a slightly more comfortable ride.
By the early 1860s, the blacksmith Pierre Michaux, besides producing parts for
the carriage trade, was producing "vélocipède à pédales" on a small scale. The
wealthy Olivier brothers Aimé and René were students in Paris at this time, and these
shrewd young entrepreneursadopted the new machine. In 1865 they travelled from Paris to
Avignon on a velocipede in only eight days. They recognized the potential profitability of
producing and selling the new machine. Together with their friend Georges de la Bouglise,
they formed a partnership with Pierre Michaux, Michaux et Cie ("Michaux and company"),
in 1868, avoiding use of the Olivier family name and staying behind the scenes, lest the
venture prove to be a failure. This was the first company which mass-produced bicycles,
replacing the early wooden frame with one made of two pieces of cast iron bolted together
—otherwise, the early Michaux machines look exactly like Lallement's patent drawing.
Together with a mechanic named Gabert in his hometown of Lyon, Aimé Olivier created a
diagonal single-piece frame made of wrought ironwhich was much stronger, and as the
first bicycle craze took hold, many other blacksmiths began forming companies to make
bicycles using the new design. Velocipedes were expensive, and when customers soon
began to complain about the Michaux serpentine cast-iron frames breaking, the Oliviers
realized by 1868 that they needed to replace that design with the diagonal one which their
competitors were already using, and the Michaux company continued to dominate the
industry in its first years.
On the new macadam paved boulevards of Paris it was easy riding, although initially still
using what was essentially horse coach technology. It was still called "velocipede" in
France, but in the United States, the machine was commonly called the "bone-shaker". Later
improvements included solid rubber tires and ball bearings. Lallement had left Paris in July
1865, crossed the Atlantic, settled in Connecticut and patented the velocipede, and the
number of associated inventions and patents soared in the US. The popularity of the
machine grew on both sides of the Atlantic and by 1868-69 the velocipede craze was strong
in rural areas as well. Even in a relatively small city such as Halifax, Canada, there were
five velocipede rinks, and riding schools began opening in many major urban centers.
Essentially, the velocipede was a stepping stone that created a market for bicycles that led to
the development of more advanced and efficient machines.
However, the Franco-Prussian war of 1870 destroyed the velocipede market in France, and
the "bone-shaker" enjoyed only a brief period of popularity in the United States, which
ended by 1870. There is debate among bicycle historians about why it failed in the United
States, but one explanation is that American road surfaces were much worse than European
ones, and riding the machine on these roads was simply too difficult. Certainly another
factor was that Calvin Witty had purchased Lallement's patent, and his royalty demands
soon crippled the industry. The UK was the only place where the bicycle never fell
completely out of favour.
1870s: the high-wheel bicycle[edit]
Main article: Penny-farthing
The high-bicycle was the logical extension of the boneshaker, the front wheel enlarging to
enable higher speeds (limited by the inside leg measurement of the rider), [16][17][18][19] the rear
wheel shrinking and the frame being made lighter. Frenchman Eugène Meyer is now
regarded as the father of the high bicycle[20] by the ICHC in place of James Starley. Meyer
invented the wire-spoke tension wheel in 1869 and produced a classic high bicycle design
until the 1880s.

A penny-farthing or ordinary bicycle photographed in the Škoda museum in the Czech Republic

James Starley in Coventry added the tangent spokes and the mounting step to his famous
bicycle named "Ariel." He is regarded as the father of the British cycling industry. Ball
bearings, solid rubber tires and hollow-section steel frames became standard, reducing
weight and making the ride much smoother. Depending on the rider's leg length, the front
wheel could now have a diameter up to 60 in (1.5 m).

Starley's "Royal Salvo" tricycle, as owned by Queen Victoria

This type of bicycle was retronymed the "ordinary" (since there was then no other kind)
[21]
and was later nicknamed "penny-farthing" in England (a penny representing the front
wheel, and a coin smaller in size and value, the farthing, representing the rear). They were
fast, but unsafe. The rider was high up in the air and traveling at a great speed. If he hit a
bad spot in the road he could easily be thrown over the front wheel and be seriously injured
(two broken wrists were common, in attempts to break a fall)[22] or even killed. "Taking a
header" (also known as "coming a cropper"), was not at all uncommon. The rider's legs
were often caught underneath the handlebars, so falling free of the machine was often not
possible. The dangerous nature of these bicycles (as well as Victorian mores) made cycling
the preserve of adventurous young men. The risk averse, such as elderly gentlemen,
preferred the more stable tricycles or quadracycles. In addition, women's fashion of the day
made the "ordinary" bicycle inaccessible. Queen Victoria owned Starley's "Royal Salvo"
tricycle, though there is no evidence she actually rode it.
Although French and English inventors modified the velocipede into the high-wheel
bicycle, the French were still recovering from the Franco-Prussian war, so English
entrepreneurs put the high-wheeler on the English market, and the machine became very
popular there, Coventry, Oxford, Birmingham and Manchester being the centers of the
English bicycle industry (and of the arms or sewing machine industries, which had the
necessary metalworking and engineering skills for bicycle manufacturing, as in Paris and St.
Etienne, and in New England).[23] Soon bicycles found their way across the English Channel.
By 1875, high-wheel bicycles were becoming popular in France, though ridership expanded
slowly.
In the United States, Bostonians such as Frank Weston started importing bicycles in 1877
and 1878, and Albert Augustus Pope started production of his "Columbia" high-wheelers in
1878, and gained control of nearly all applicable patents, starting with Lallement's 1866
patent. Pope lowered the royalty (licensing fee) previous patent owners charged, and took
his competitors to court over the patents. The courts supported him, and competitors either
paid royalties ($10 per bicycle), or he forced them out of business. There seems to have
been no patent issue in France, where English bicycles still dominated the market. By 1884
high-wheelers and tricycles were relatively popular among a small group of upper-middle-
class people in all three countries, the largest group being in England. Their use also spread
to the rest of the world, chiefly because of the extent of the British Empire.
Pope also introduced mechanization and mass production (later copied and adopted
by Ford and General Motors),[24] vertically integrated,[25] (also later copied and adopted by
Ford), advertised aggressively[26] (as much as ten percent of all advertising in U.S.
periodicals in 1898 was by bicycle makers),[27] promoted the Good Roads Movement (which
had the side benefit of acting as advertising, and of improving sales by providing more
places to ride),[28] and litigated on behalf of cyclists[28] (It would, however, be Western Wheel
Company of Chicago which would drastically reduce production costs by
introducing stamping to the production process in place of machining, significantly
reducing costs, and thus prices.)[29] In addition, bicycle makers adopted the annual model
change[30] (later derided as planned obsolescence, and usually credited to General Motors),
which proved very successful.[31]
Even so, bicycling remained the province of the urban well-to-do, and mainly men, until the
1890s,[32] and was an example of conspicuous consumption.[33]
The safety bicycle: 1880s and 1890s[edit]

A 1884 McCammon safety bicycle[34]

A 1885 Whippet safety bicycle[35]

 A 1889 Lady's safety bicycle

The development of the safety bicycle was arguably the most important change in the
history of the bicycle. It shifted their use and public perception from being a dangerous toy
for sporting young men to being an everyday transport tool for men—and, crucially, women
—of all ages.
Aside from the obvious safety problems, the high-wheeler's direct front wheel drive limited
its top speed. One attempt to solve both problems with a chain-driven front wheel was the
dwarf bicycle, exemplified by the Kangaroo. Inventors also tried a rear wheel chain drive.
Although Harry John Lawson invented a rear-chain-drive bicycle in 1879 with his
"bicyclette", it still had a huge front wheel and a small rear wheel. Detractors called it "The
Crocodile", and it failed in the market.
John Kemp Starley, James's nephew, produced the first successful "safety bicycle" (again a
retrospective name), the "Rover," in 1885, which he never patented. It featured a steerable
front wheel that had significant caster, equally sized wheels and a chain drive to the rear
wheel.[36]
Widely imitated, the safety bicycle completely replaced the high-wheeler in North America
and Western Europe by 1890. Meanwhile, John Dunlop's reinvention of
the pneumatic bicycle tire in 1888 had made for a much smoother ride on paved streets; the
previous type were quite smooth-riding, when used on the dirt roads common at the time.
[37]
As with the original velocipede, safety bicycles had been much less comfortable than
high-wheelers precisely because of the smaller wheel size, and frames were often buttressed
with complicated bicycle suspension spring assemblies. The pneumatic tire made all of
these obsolete, and frame designers found a diamond pattern to be the strongest and most
efficient design.
On 10 October 1889, Isaac R Johnson, an African-American inventor, lodged his patent for
a folding bicycle - the first with a recognisably modern diamond frame, the pattern still used
in 21st-century bicycles.
The chain drive improved comfort and speed, as the drive was transferred to the non-
steering rear wheel and allowed for smooth, relaxed and injury free pedaling (earlier designs
that required pedalling the steering front wheel were difficult to pedal while turning, due to
the misalignment of rotational planes of leg and pedal). With easier pedaling, the rider more
easily turned corners.
The pneumatic tire and the diamond frame improved rider comfort but do not form a crucial
design or safety feature. A hard rubber tire on a bicycle is just as rideable but is bone jarring.
The frame design allows for a lighter weight, and more simple construction and
maintenance, hence lower price.

20th century[edit]
The examples and perspective in this section may not represent a worldwide view of
the subject. You may improve this article, discuss the issue on the talk page, or create a
new article, as appropriate. (May 2015) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)
The roadster[edit]
Main article: Roadster (bicycle)
Bicycle in Plymouth at the start of the 20th century

The ladies' version of the roadster's design was very much in place by the 1890s. It had a
step-through frame rather than the diamond frame of the gentlemen's model so that ladies,
with their dresses and skirts, could easily mount and ride their bicycles, and commonly
came with a skirt guard to prevent skirts and dresses becoming entangled in the rear wheel
and spokes. As with the gents' roadster, the frame was of steel construction and the
positioning of the frame and handlebars gave the rider a very upright riding position.
Though they originally came with front spoon-brakes, technological advancements meant
that later models were equipped with the much-improved coaster brakes or rod-actuated rim
or drum-brakes.
The Dutch cycle industry grew rapidly from the 1890s onwards. Since by then it was the
British who had the strongest and best-developed market in bike design, Dutch framemakers
either copied them or imported them from England. In 1895, 85 per cent of all bikes bought
in the Netherlands were from Britain; the vestiges of that influence can still be seen in the
solid, gentlemanly shape of a traditional Dutch bike even now.
[38]

Though the ladies' version of the roadster largely fell out of fashion in England and many
other Western nations as the 20th century progressed, it remains popular in the Netherlands;
this is why some people refer to bicycles of this design as Dutch bikes. In Dutch the name
of these bicycles is Omafiets ("grandma's bike").
Popularity in Europe, decline in US[edit]
Cycling steadily became more important in Europe over the first half of the twentieth
century, but it dropped off dramatically in the United States between 1900 and 1910.
Automobiles became the preferred means of transportation. Over the 1920s, bicycles
gradually became considered children's toys, and by 1940 most bicycles in the United States
were made for children. In Europe cycling remained an adult activity, and bicycle racing,
commuting, and "cyclotouring" were all popular activities. In addition, specialist bicycles
for children appeared before 1916.[39]
From the early 20th century until after World War II, the roadster constituted most adult
bicycles sold in the United Kingdom and in many parts of the British Empire. For many
years after the advent of the motorcycle and automobile, they remained a primary means of
adult transport. Major manufacturers in England were Raleigh and BSA, though Carlton,
Phillips, Triumph, Rudge-Whitworth, Hercules, and Elswick Hopper also made them.
Technical innovations[edit]
Bicycles continued to evolve to suit the varied needs of riders. The derailleur developed in
France between 1900 and 1910 among cyclotourists, and was improved over time. Only in
the 1930s did European racing organizations allow racers to use gearing; until then they
were forced to use a two-speed bicycle. The rear wheel had a sprocket on either side of the
hub. To change gears, the rider had to stop, remove the wheel, flip it around, and remount
the wheel. When racers were allowed to use derailleurs, racing times immediately dropped.
World War II[edit]
Although multiple-speed bicycles were widely known by this time, most or all military
bicycles used in the Second World War were single-speed.
China and the Flying Pigeon[edit]
The Flying Pigeon was at the forefront of the bicycle phenomenon in the People’s Republic
of China. The vehicle was the government approved form of transport, and the nation
became known as zixingche wang guo (自行车王国) — the 'Kingdom of Bicycles'. A
bicycle was regarded as one of the three "must-haves" of every citizen, alongside a sewing
machine and watch - essential items in life that also offered a hint of wealth. The Flying
Pigeon bicycle became a symbol of an egalitarian social system that promised little comfort
but a reliable ride through life.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the logo became synonymous with almost all bicycles in
the country. The Flying Pigeon became the single most popular mechanized vehicle on the
planet, becoming so ubiquitous that Deng Xiaoping — the post-Mao leader who launched
China's economic reforms in the 1970s — defined prosperity as "a Flying Pigeon in every
household".
In the early 1980s, Flying Pigeon was the country's biggest bike manufacturer, selling 3
million cycles in 1986. Its 20-kilo black single-speed models were popular with workers,
and there was a waiting list of several years to get one, and even then buyers needed
good guanxi (connections) in addition to the purchase cost, which was about four months'
wages for most workers.
North America: cruiser v racer[edit]
At mid-century there were two predominant bicycle styles for recreational cyclists in North
America. Heavyweight cruiser bicycles, preferred by the typical (hobby) cyclist,[40] featuring
balloon tires, pedal-driven "coaster" brakes and only one gear, were popular for their
durability, comfort, streamlined appearance, and a significant array of accessories (lights,
bells, springer forks, speedometers, etc..). Lighter cycles, with hand brakes, narrower tires,
and a three-speed hub gearing system, often imported from England, first became popular in
the United States in the late 1950s. These comfortable, practical bicycles usually offered
generator-powered headlamps, safety reflectors, kickstands, and frame-mounted tire pumps.
In the United Kingdom, like the rest of Europe, cycling was seen as less of a hobby, and
lightweight but durable bikes had been preferred for decades.[40]
In the United States, the sports roadster was imported after World War II, and was known as
the "English racer". It quickly became popular with adult cyclists seeking an alternative to
the traditional youth-oriented cruiser bicycle. While the English racer was no racing bike, it
was faster and better for climbing hills than the cruiser, thanks to its lighter weight, tall
wheels, narrow tires, and internally geared rear hubs. In the late 1950s, U.S. manufacturers
such as Schwinn began producing their own "lightweight" version of the English racer.

This racing bicycle has aluminum tubing, carbon fiber stays and forks, a drop handlebar, and
narrow tires and wheels.

In the late 1960s, Americans' increasing consciousness of the value of exercise and later the
advantage of energy efficient transportation led to the American bike boom of the 1970s.
Annual U.S. sales of adult bicycles doubled between 1960 and 1970, and doubled again
between 1971 and 1975, the peak years of the adult cycling boom in the United States,
eventually reaching nearly 17 million units.[41] Most of these sales were to new cyclists, who
overwhelmingly preferred models imitating popular European derailleur-equipped racing
bikes — variously called sports models, sport/tourers, or simply ten-speeds — to the
older roadsters with hub gears which remained much the same as they had been since the
1930s.[41][42] These lighter bicycles, long used by serious cyclists and by racers, featured
dropped handlebars, narrow tires, derailleur gears, five to fifteen speeds, and a narrow
'racing' type saddle. By 1980, racing and sport/touring derailleur bikes dominated the
market in North America.[41][43]
Europe[edit]
In Britain, the utility roadster declined noticeably in popularity during the early 1970s, as a
boom in recreational cycling caused manufacturers to concentrate on lightweight (10–14 kg
(23–30 lb)), affordable derailleur sport bikes, actually slightly-modified versions of
the racing bicycleof the era.[44]
In the early 1980s, Swedish company Itera invented a new type of bicycle, made entirely of
plastic. It was a commercial failure.
In the 1980s, U.K. cyclists began to shift from road-only bicycles to all-terrain models such
as the mountain bike. The mountain bike's sturdy frame and load-carrying ability gave it
additional versatility as a utility bike, usurping the role previously filled by the roadster. By
1990, the roadster was almost dead; while annual U.K. bicycle sales reached an all-time
record of 2.8 million, almost all of them were mountain and road/sport models.
BMX bikes[edit]
BMX bikes are specially designed bicycles that usually have 16 to 24-inch wheels (the
norm being the 20-inch wheel), which originated in the state of California in the early 1970s
when teenagers imitated their motocross heroes on their bicycles.[45] Children were racing
standard road bikes off-road, around purpose-built tracks in the Netherlands.[46] The 1971
motorcycle racing documentary On Any Sunday is generally credited with inspiring the
movement nationally in the US. In the opening scene, kids are shown riding their Schwinn
Sting-Rays off-road. It was not until the middle of the decade the sport achieved critical
mass, and manufacturers began creating bicycles designed specially for the sport.
It has grown into an international sport with several different disciplines.
Mountain bikes[edit]
Main article: History of the mountain bike and mountain biking
In 1981, the first mass-produced mountain bike appeared, intended for use off-pavement
over a variety of surfaces. It was an immediate success, and examples flew off retailers'
shelves during the 1980s, their popularity spurred by the novelty of all-terrain cycling and
the increasing desire of urban dwellers to escape their surroundings via mountain biking and
other extreme sports. These cycles featured sturdier frames, wider tires with large knobs for
increased traction, a more upright seating position (to allow better visibility and shifting of
body weight), and increasingly, various front and rear suspension designs. [47] By 2000,
mountain bike sales had far outstripped that of racing, sport/racer, and touring bicycles. [citation
needed]

21st century[edit]
The 21st century has seen a continued application of technology to bicycles: in designing
them, building them, and using them. Bicycle frames and components continue to get
lighter and more aerodynamic without sacrificing strength largely through the use
of computer aided design, finite element analysis, and computational fluid dynamics.
Recent discoveries about bicycle stability have been facilitated by computer simulations.
[48]
Once designed, new technology is applied to manufacturing such as hydroforming and
automated carbon fiber layup. Finally, electronic gadgetry has expanded from
just cyclocomputers to now include cycling power meters and electronic gear-shifting
systems.
 The 2005 Giant Innova is an example of a typical 700C hybrid bicycle. It has 27 speeds, front
fork and seat suspension, an adjustable stem and disc brakes for wet-weather riding.

Hybrid and commuter bicycles[edit]

In recent years, bicycle designs have trended towards increased specialization, as the
number of casual, recreational and commuter cyclists has grown. For these groups, the
industry responded with the hybrid bicycle, sometimes marketed as a city bike, cross bike,
or commuter bike.[47] Hybrid bicycles combine elements of road racing and mountain bikes,
though the term is applied to a wide variety of bicycle types. Hybrid bicycles and commuter
bicycles can range from fast and light racing-type bicycles with flat bars and other minimal
concessions to casual use, to wider-tired bikes designed for primarily for comfort, load-
carrying, and increased versatility over a range of different road surfaces.[47] Enclosed hub
gears have become popular again - now with up to 8, 11 or 14 gears - for such bicycles due
to ease of maintenance and improved technology.
Recumbent bicycle[edit]
Main article: Recumbent bicycle

2008 Nazca Fuego short wheelbase recumbent with 20" front wheel and 26" rear wheel.

In 1934, the Union Cycliste Internationale banned recumbent bicycles from all forms of
officially sanctioned racing, at the behest of the conventional bicycle industry, after
relatively little-known Francis Faure beat world champion Henri Lemoine and broke Oscar
Egg's hour record by half a mile while riding Mochet's Velocar.[12][49][50][51] Some authors assert
that this resulted in the stagnation of the upright racing bike's frame geometry which has
remained essentially unchanged for 70 years.[12][49][50] This stagnation finally started to reverse
with the formation of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association which holds
races for "banned" classes of bicycle.[49] Sam Whittinghamset a human powered speed
record of 132 km/h (82 mph) on level ground in a faired recumbent streamliner in 2009
at Battle Mountain.[52]
While historically most bike frames have been steel, recent designs, particularly of high-end
racing bikes, have made extensive use of carbon and aluminum frames.
Recent years have also seen a resurgence of interest in balloon tire cruiser bicycles for their
low-tech comfort, reliability, and style.[citation needed]
In addition to influences derived from the evolution of American bicycling trends,
European, Asian and African cyclists have also continued to use
traditional roadster bicycles, as their rugged design, enclosed chainguards, and dependable
hub gearing make them ideal for commuting and utility cycling duty.[47]

See also[edit]
 Bicycling and feminism

 Hour record

 International Cycling History Conference

 Bike boom, also known as "bicycle craze", a name used for several periods in cycling
history

References[edit]
1. Jump up^ Lessing, Hans-Erhard: "The evidence against Leonardo's bicycle", Cycle
History 8, San Francisco 1998, pp. 49-56

2. Jump up^ Leonardo da Vinci Bicycle Hoax

3. Jump up^ On the question of Leonardo's 'bicycle' Archived July 11, 2009, at the Wayback
Machine.

4. Jump up^ https://beyondthirtynine.com/leonardo-da-vinci-the-inventor-of-the-modern-

bike/

5. Jump up^ Baudry de Saunier, Louis (1891). Histoire Générale de la Vélocipédie.

Ollendorff Paris. pp. 4–8.

6. Jump up^ Seray, Jacques: Deux Roues. La véritable histoire du vélo. Éditions du Rouergue
1988, 13-17

7. Jump up^ An earlier English version appeared as "The End of De Sivrac" in The
Boneshaker#85(1977)

8. ^ Jump up to: "Canada Science and Technology Museum: from Draisienne to

a b

Dandyhorse". Retrieved 2008-12-31.

9. Jump up^ "Lessing, Hans-Erhard: "What Led to the Invention of the Early
Bicycle?" Cycle History 11, San Francisco 2001, pp. 28-36".

10. Jump up^ "LODA, eine neuerfundene Fahrmaschine" in: Badwochenblatt für die
Großherzogliche Stadt Baden of 29th of July 1817

11. Jump up^ Eesfehani, Amir Moghaddaas: "The Bicycle's Long Way to China", Cycle
History 13, San Francisco 2003, pp. 94-102

12. ^ Jump up to: Herlihy, David (2004). Bicycle: the History. Yale University Press.
a b c d e f

pp. 31, 62. ISBN 0-300-10418-9. Retrieved 2009-09-29.

13. Jump up^ Museum of Science and Technology

14. Jump up^ Goddard, J. T. (1869). The velocipede: its history, varieties, and practice. New
York: Hurd and Houghton. p. 85. OCLC 12320845. OCOLC 659342545.

15. Jump up^ "VELOCIPEDES.; Their Introduction, Use and Manufacture--Riding Schools--
Rival Claims of the Patent". New York Times. 1869-03-08. Pickering & Davis have recently
brought out a ladies' bicycle which has a comfortable willow seat

16. Jump up^ "The Wheelmen FAQ". Retrieved 2008-05-15.

17. Jump up^ "Britannica Online". Retrieved 2008-05-15.

18. Jump up^ "Exploratorium". Retrieved 2008-05-15.

19. Jump up^ "Sheldon Brown Glossary High Wheeler". Retrieved 2008-05-15.

20. Jump up^ Tony Hadland and Hans-Erhard Lessing (2014). Bicycle Design, an Illustrated
History. MIT Press. p. 92. Eugène Meyer ... gets the credit for making the high-wheeler
feasible and making it known.

21. Jump up^ Norcliffe, Glen. The Ride to Modernity: The Bicycle in Canada, 1869-
1900 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2001), p.47.

22. Jump up^ Norcliffe, p.50 cap.

23. Jump up^ Norcliffe, p.44.

24. Jump up^ Norcliffe, pp.106 & 108. GM's practise of sharing chassis, bodies, and other
parts is exactly what Pope was doing.

25. Jump up^ Norcliffe, p.106.

26. Jump up^ Norcliffe, pp.142-7.

27. Jump up^ Norcliffe, p.145.

28. ^ Jump up to: Norcliffe, p.108.

a b

29. Jump up^ Norcliffe, p.107.

30. Jump up^ Babaian, Sharon. The Most Benevolent Machine: A Historical Assessment of
Cycles in Canada (Ottawa: National Museum of Science and Technology, 1998), p.97.

31. Jump up^ Babaian, p.98.

32. Jump up^ Norcliffe, pp.31-2 & 124.

33. Jump up^ Norcliffe, pp.31-2, 35, 124, & 243-6.

34. Jump up^ "McCammon Safety Bicycle". The Science Museum. Archived from the
original on 2012-05-15. Retrieved 2015-01-03.

35. Jump up^ "Whippet Safety Bicycle". The Science Museum. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
 36. Jump up^ Early chain-driven bikes used a heavy one-inch (25.4 mm) block chain,
compared to the modern half-inch (12.7 mm) roller type. Northcliffe, p.53.

37. Jump up^ Northcliffe, p.49 cap.

38. Jump up^ Bathurst, Bella The Bicycle Book (Harperpress, 2012)

39. Jump up^ It is unlikely CCM's 1916 model was the first. Babaian, Sharon. The Most
Benevolent Machine (Ottawa: Museum of Science and Technology, 1998), p.71.

40. ^ Jump up to: Babaian, p.71.

a b

41. ^ Jump up to: Ballantine, Richard, Richard's Bicycle Book, New York: Ballantine Books,
a b c

rev. ed. (1978), p.1

42. Jump up^ Ballantine, Richard, Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book, New York: Overlook
Press (2001), ISBN 1-58567-112-6, pp. introduction, 20, 25, 33-39

43. Jump up^ Ballantine, Richard, Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book, New York: Overlook
Press (2001), pp. 20-25

44. Jump up^ Richard Ballantine (2000). The 21st Century Bicycle Book. New York: Overlook
Press. p. 23. Sales of sport and road racing bikes constituted the major part of new bike
sales from 1972, when annual U.K. sales went from just 700,000 per year to 1.6 million per
year in 1980.

45. Jump up^ "History of BMX". Archived from the original on 2007-10-20. Retrieved 2007-
10-14.

46. Jump up^ "University of BMX : BMX in Holland". Archived from the original on 2007-10-
19. Retrieved 2007-10-14.

47. ^ Jump up to: Ballantine, Richard, Richard's 21st Century Bicycle Book, New York:
a b c d

Overlook Press (2001), pp.33-39

48. Jump up^ J. D. G. Kooijman, J. P. Meijaard, J. M. Papadopoulos, A. Ruina, and A. L.

Schwab (April 15, 2011). "A bicycle can be self-stable without gyrosocpic or caster
effects" (PDF). Science. 332 (6027): 339–
342. Bibcode:2011Sci...332..339K. doi:10.1126/science.1201959. Retrieved 2011-04-16.

49. ^ Jump up to: Wilson, David Gordon; Jim Papadopoulos (2004). Bicycling
a b c

Science (Third ed.). The MIT Press. p. 31. ISBN 0-262-73154-1.

50. ^ Jump up to: Tony Anthonisen (January 14, 2011). "Recumbent Bicycles - A True Rider's
a b

Alternative!". Twin Cities Bicycling Club. Retrieved 2013-08-07.

51. Jump up^ Bryan Ball (July 4, 2006). "Better Bikes Than Lance's". Wired. Retrieved 2013-
08-07.

52. Jump up^ "WHPSC 2009 200 Meter Results". World Human Powered Speed Challenge.
2009. Archived from the original on 2013-08-11. Retrieved 2013-08-07.

Further reading[edit]
 Bijker, Wiebe E. (1995). Of bicycles, bakelites, and bulbs: toward a theory of
sociotechnical change. Cambridge, Massachusetts: MIT Press. ISBN 9780262023764.
  Cycle History vol. 1-24, Proceedings of the International Cycling History
Conference (ICHC), 1990–2014

 Friss, Evan. The Cycling City: Bicycles and Urban America in the 1890s (University of
Chicago Press, 2015). x, 267 pp.

 Tony Hadland & Hans-Erhard Lessing: Bicycle Design - An Illustrated History. The
MIT-Press, Cambridge (USA) 2014, ISBN 978-0-262-02675-8

 David Gordon Wilson Bicycling Science 3rd ed. 2004

 David V. Herlihy Bicycle - The History. 2004

 Hans-Erhard Lessing Automobilitaet - Karl Drais und die unglaublichen Anfaenge,

2003 (in German)

 Pryor Dodge The Bicycle 1996 (French ed 1996, German eds 1997, 2002, 2007)

 Taylor, Michael (2008). "The Bicycle Boom and the Bicycle Bloc: Cycling and Politics
in the 1890s". Indiana Magazine of History. 104 (3): 213–240.

 Taylor, Michael (2010). "Rapid Transit to Salvation: American Protestants and the
Bicycle in the Era of the Cycling Craze". Journal of the Gilded Age and Progressive
Era. 9 (3): 337–363. doi:10.1017/s1537781400004096.
How I Saved The British Empire. Reminiscences of a Bicycling Tour of Great Britain in the
Year 1901 A novel released by Ailemo Books in July 2015. Author Michael
Waldock. ISBN 978-0-9819224-3-0. Library of Congress: 2015909543.

External links[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has
media related to Bicycles.

 International Cycling History Conference (ICHC)

 Karl-Drais memorial

 Karl Drais seen by ADFC Mannheim - Focus on events in Mannheim, being the place
of his invention. A 3-page Drais biography is available in more than 15 languages.

 Menotomy Vintage Bicycles - Antique bicycle photos, features, price guide and
research tools.

 Metz Bicycle Museum in Freehold, NJ

 Myths and Milestones in Bicycle Evolution by William Hudson (accessed 2005-11-17)

 A Quick History of Bicycles from the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum (accessed
2005-01-06)

 1911 Britannica article about the bicycle

 Bicyclette of Harry John Lawson

  VeloPress has published dozens of books on the history of cycling and the bicycle.

 The Wheelmen organization

Library resources about

History of the bicycle

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