| Several inventors and innovators
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| | bumpy ride. The next innovations
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| contributed to the development of the
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| | increased comfort and ushered in the
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| bicycle. Its earliest known forebears
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| | 1890s Golden Age of Bicycles. In 1888,
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| were called velocipedes, and included
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| | Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop introduced the
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| many types of human-powered vehicles. One
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| | pneumatic tire, which soon became
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| of these, the scooter-like dandy horse of
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| | universal. Soon after, the rear freewheel
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| the French Comte de Sivrac, dating to
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| | was developed, enabling the rider to
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| 1790, was long cited as the earliest
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| | coast without the pedals spinning out of
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| bicycle. Most bicycle historians now
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| | control. This refinement led to the 1898
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| believe that these hobbyhorses with no
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| | invention of coaster brakes. Derailleur
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| steering mechanism probably never
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| | gears and hand-operated, cable-pull
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| existed, but were made up by Louis Baudry
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| | brakes were also developed during these
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| de Saunier, a 19th-century French bicycle
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| | years, but were only slowly adopted by
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| historian. However, the term hobbyhorse
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| | casual riders. By the turn of the
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| was later applied to the first documented
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| | century, bicycling clubs flourished on
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| ancestor of the modern bicycle, first
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| | both sides of the Atlantic, and touring
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| introduced to the public in Paris by the
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| | and racing were soon extremely popular.
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| German Baron Karl Drais in 1818.[citation
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| | Successful early bicycle manufacturers
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| needed].
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| | included Englishman Frank Bowden and
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| The ancestor of the bicycle was first
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| | German builder Ignaz Schwinn. Bowden
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| created by a German Baron, Karl Drais,
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| | started the Raleigh company in Nottingham
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| who invented and patented his machine in
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| | in the 1890s, and was soon producing some
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| 1817. So the first bicycle ride was from
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| | 30,000 bicycles a year. Schwinn emigrated
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| his residence town Mannheim to the suburb
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| | to the United States, where he founded
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| Rheinau. A number of these draisines or
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| | his similarly successful company in
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| dandy horses still exist, including one
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| | Chicago in 1895. Schwinn bicycles soon
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| at the Paleis het Loo museum in
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| | featured widened tires and
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| Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. These were
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| | spring-cushioned, padded seats,
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| pushbikes, powered by the action of the
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| | sacrificing a certain amount of
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| rider's feet pushing against the ground.
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| | efficiency for increased comfort.
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| The Draisienne had two in-line wheels
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| | Facilitated by connections between
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| connected by a wooden frame. The rider
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| | European nations and their overseas
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| sat astride and pushed it along with his
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| | colonies, European-style bicycles were
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| feet, while steering the front wheel.
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| | soon available worldwide. By the mid-20th
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| Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan
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| | century, bicycles had become the primary
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| refined this in 1839 by adding a
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| | means of transportation for millions of
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| mechanical crank drive to the rear wheel,
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| | people around the globe.
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| thus creating the first true "bicycle" in
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| | In many western countries, the use of
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| the modern sense. His system employed a
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| | bicycles levelled off or declined as
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| pair of treadle drives connected by rods
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| | motorized transportation became
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| to a rear wheel crank, rather like a
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| | affordable and car-centred policies led
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| steam locomotive's driveshaft. Although
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| | to an increasingly hostile environment
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| the design was copied by at least two
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| | for bicycles. In North America, bicycle
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| other Scottish builders, it was overtaken
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| | sales declined markedly after 1905, to
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| in popularity and influence by an
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| | the point where, by the 1940s, they had
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| inferior one.
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| | largely been relegated to the role of
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| In the 1850s and 1860s, Frenchmen Ernest
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| | children's toys. However, in other parts
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| Michaux and Pierre Lallement took bicycle
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| | of the world, such as China, India, and
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| design in a different direction, placing
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| | European countries such as Germany,
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| the pedals on an enlarged front wheel.
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| | Denmark, and the Netherlands, the
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| Their creation, which came to be called
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| | traditional utility bicycle remained a
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| the "Boneshaker", featured a heavy steel
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| | mainstay of transportation; its design
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| frame on which they mounted wooden wheels
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| | changed only gradually to incorporate
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| with iron tires. Lallement emigrated to
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| | hand-operated brakes, with internal hub
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| the United States, where he recorded a
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| | gears allowing up to seven speeds. In the
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| patent on his bicycle in 1866 in New
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| | Netherlands, such so-called 'granny
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| Haven, Connecticut. The Boneshaker was
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| | bikes' have remained popular, and are
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| further refined by Englishman James
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| | again in production. In the early 1980s,
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| Starley in the 1870s. He mounted the seat
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| | Swedish company Itera invented a new type
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| more squarely over the pedals so that the
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| | of bicycle, made entirely out of
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| rider could push more firmly, and further
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| | plastics. The plastic bicycle was however
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| enlarged the front wheel to increase the
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| | a commercial failure.
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| potential for speed. With tires of solid
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| | In North America, increasing
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| rubber, his machine became known as the
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| | consciousness of physical fitness and
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| ordinary. British cyclists likened the
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| | environmental preservation spawned a
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| disparity in size of the two wheels to
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| | renaissance of bicycling in the late
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| their coinage, nicknaming it the
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| | 1960s. Bicycle sales in the US boomed,
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| penny-farthing. The primitive bicycles of
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| | largely in the form of the racing
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| this generation were difficult to ride,
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| | bicycles, long used in such events as the
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| and the high seat and poor weight
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| | hugely popular Tour de France. Sales were
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| distribution made for dangerous falls.
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| | also helped by a number of technical
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| The subsequent dwarf ordinary addressed
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| | innovations that were new to the US
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| some of these faults by adding gearing,
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| | market, including higher performance
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| reducing the front wheel diameter, and
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| | steel alloys and gearsets with an
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| setting the seat further back, with no
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| | increasing number of gears. While
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| loss of speed. Having to both pedal and
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| | 10-speeds were very popular in the 1970s,
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| steer via the front wheel remained a
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| | 12-speed designs were introduced in the
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| problem. Starley's nephew, J. K. Starley,
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| | 1980s, and today most bikes feature 18 or
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| J. H. Lawson, and Shergold solved this
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| | more speeds. By the 1980s, these newer
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| problem by introducing the chain and
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| | designs had driven the three-speed
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| producing rear-wheel drive. These models
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| | bicycle from the roads. In the late
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| were known as dwarf safeties, or safety
| |
| | 1980s, the mountain bike became
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| bicycles, for their lower seat height and
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| | particularly popular, and in the 1990s
|
| better weight distribution. Starley's
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| | something of a major fad. These
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| 1885 Rover is usually described as the
| |
| | task-specific designs led many American
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| first recognizably modern bicycle. Soon,
| |
| | recreational cyclists to demand a more
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| the seat tube was added, creating the
| |
| | comfortable and practical product.
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| double-triangle, diamond frame of the
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| | Manufacturers responded with the hybrid
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| modern bike.
| |
| | bicycle, which restored many of the
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| While the Starley design was much safer,
| |
| | features long enjoyed by riders of the
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| the return to smaller wheels made for a
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| | time-tested European utility bikes.
|
