| Curious about the origin of that two wheeled | | | | more popular than the boneshaker (perhaps |
| machine we call a bicycle? Here are some bike | | | | people were drawn to the less frightening name). |
| facts that will have you laughing, scratching your | | | | Of all the wacky and loopy bike facts out there, |
| head, and wondering in amazement. | | | | this one is rather tame (though interesting): the |
| Although the first bicycle ever, truly, invented can | | | | overall design of the bicycle has not really |
| be traced back to Baron Karl de Drais of | | | | changed since the 1890s. Of course, different |
| Germany during the year 1818, many people tried | | | | bikes have been created for different purposes |
| to invent something similar since the Baron's reign. | | | | (mountain, road, hybrid), but the concept of a |
| A man named Kirkpatrick Macmillan devised a | | | | frame with two wheels (that are not made of |
| contraption similar to a bicycle that had wheels | | | | iron) has stayed the same. Why is it that we love |
| made of iron and cranks for pedals ... needless to | | | | the bicycle so much? Well, no one is really sure, |
| say, this was not a huge success. Still, many | | | | though there are around 20 million bicycles owned |
| believed that Macmillan had an interesting idea, | | | | throughout the nation today. |
| which prompted others to try and invent | | | | For most of us, the bicycle is a cherished part of |
| something unique as well. From the time Macmillan | | | | our childhood, though none of this could have |
| created his iron clad bicycle, the bike facts just | | | | been possible without the Baron Karl de Drais. |
| keep on getting stranger as time marches on. | | | | From the boneshaker to the penny-farthing and |
| "The Boneshaker" (sounds scary, doesn't it?) was | | | | to the cleverly crafted mountain bicycles of |
| created during the late 1800s, and this invention | | | | today, this is one oddly shaped invention that has |
| nearly broke the scales at 160 lbs. Still, the weight | | | | captivated our hearts and souls for hundreds of |
| of this machine did not deter people from wishing | | | | years. |
| to ride it, thus the bicycle became extremely | | | | Whether you enjoy racing them, or merely |
| popular and there were many boneshaker bicycle | | | | admiring their history, bicycles are the |
| events held throughout the world. Not so | | | | embodiment of all that is pure and good in the |
| impressed with this rattling machine, James | | | | world. These bike facts may seem slightly |
| Starley of England developed another bicycled | | | | peculiar, though they will give you something to |
| called the "penny-farthing" that became even | | | | think about during your next long ride. |