Exploring the Evolution of Bicycles

The Dandy horse the beginning of cycling revolution
The Dandy horse the beginning of the cycling revolution

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History Of Bicycle Transportation

Throughout history, millions of people have relied on bicycles and motorcycles for affordable and convenient public transportation. But, not all people have had this luxury; over the course of the last several centuries, numerous inventors have dedicated their lives to creating a wide range of two-wheeled modes of transportation. In this section, you will learn how these pioneering devices came to be and how they are now deeply ingrained in our society.

Bicycle History and Evolution

The invention of the bicycle was a watershed moment in the lengthy history of public transportation; this section will attempt to trace the beginnings of this revolutionary tool from the millennia of horseback riding to the widespread use of bicycles today.

Inventors of Bicycle

The invention of the bicycle can be attributed to a number of very talented scientists. Here is a list of these scientists and their endeavors to produce a simple-to-manufacture, simple-to-use transportation tool that would revolutionize public transportation.

Facts about Bicycles

See more fascinating facts about bicycles. Approximately 50 million bicycles are produced annually. As of right now, there are roughly 400 million bicycles in China and approximately a billion bicycles worldwide.

Elsa von Blumen, Cycling Champion 

Bicycle Types

Here you may learn about all the most common bicycle types that are currently available for purchase. Over the past few centuries, inventors from all over the world have worked to build appropriate bicycle types for all kinds of uses.

Cycling

See more if you are interested in history, types, and contemporary riding. Bicycles are more than just a means of transportation for millions of people worldwide.

Brief History

A working prototype was never produced, and bicycles were unknown until the early 19th century. It all started with some simple drawings by the Italian genius Leonardo da Vinci in the late 15th century. His two-wheeled design perfectly described a one-person velocipede (without pedals or chain transmission), that could have been made easily from then accessible materials.

Birth Of The Bicycle

With his “Draisine” velocipede, Baron Karl von Drais laid the foundation for the modern bicycle in 1817. His designs saw some success in Europe for a while, but in the early 1860s, his partners Pierre Lallement and he, Pierre Michaux, managed to produce the first pedal-equipped bicycle model. This was a turning point in the history of the bicycle, as all bicycles began to spread across Europe and the Pacific to the United States. Over the next few years, the bicycle received numerous improvements, including metal frames, pneumatic tires, safety brakes, ball bearings, chain transmission, and coaster brakes.

The first known motorcycle was created in a factory that also produced the first bicycle when Ernest Michaux, the son of Pierre Michaux, combined one of their early velocipede models with a small steam engine. Following this technological breakthrough, many other scientists attempted to attach various steam engine models to bicycles, but the true revolution occurred in 1885 when two German inventors, Gottlieb Daimler and Wilhelm Maybach, succeeded in attaching an internal combustion gasoline engine to the iron bicycle frame. This discovery sealed the fate of motorcycles and led to their widespread production.

Today over half a billion bicycles and motorcycles are in use, mostly in Asian countries of China and India.

References

  • Bicycle: The History – David V. Herlihy [ISBN 0300120478]
  • The Golden Age of Bicycle Racing in New Jersey – Michael C Gabriele [ISBN 1596294272]
  • The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle – Frank J. Berto [ISBN 1892495597]
  • The Bicycle: The Myth And The Passion – Francesco Baroni [ISBN-13: 978-8854403369]

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