In 1817 Baron von Drais invented a walking cycle that would help him get around the royal gardens faster: two same-size in-line wheels(like a modern day bike), the front one was steerable, mounted in a frame which you straddled. The cycle was propelled by pushing your feet against the ground, thus rolling yourself and the bike forward in a sort of gliding walk. The cycle became known as the Draisienne or hobby horse. It was made entirely of wood. This enjoyed a short lived popularity as a fad, not being practical for transportation in any other place than a well maintained pathway such as in a park or garden. The next appearance of a cycle riding machine was in 1865, when pedals were applied directly to the front wheel. This cycle was known as the velocipede ("fast foot"), but was popularly known as the 'bone shaker'. It was made from wood, then later with metal tyres, and the combination of these with the old cobblestone roads of the day made for an uncomfortable and harsh ride. In 1872 the first all metal bike was made. The pedals were still atttached directly to the front cycle wheel offering no freewheeling - fixed wheel. Solid rubber tyres and the long spokes in the large front wheel provided a much better ride than earlier bicycles. The front wheels became larger and larger as manufacters realized that the larger the front drive wheel was the farther you could travel with one rotation of the pedals. You would be sized for a wheel as large as your leg length would allow. This type cycle was the first to be officially called a 'bicycle' or 'two wheeler'. These Cycles enjoyed a great popularity among young men and workers (they cost an average worker 6 month's pay), with the hey-day being the decade of the 1880s. Because the rider sat so high above the center of gravity, if the front wheel should be stopped by a stone or pot hole in the road the whole bike would through you clear over the front bars. While the men were falling off their big wheeled bicycles , ladies confined to their long skirts and corsets, could take a trip around the streets on an adult tricycle or 'three wheel bicycle'. These tricycles also afforded more dignity to gentlemen such as doctors or men of the cloth.
Many mechanical innovations now associated with the automobile were originally invented for use in tricycles. Rack type steering, differential, and band brakes, to name a few with the High Wheel Safety Improvements to the design began to be seen, many with a smaller wheel in the front to prevent the tipping-forward problem.
One model was promoted by its manufacturer by being ridden down the front steps of the capital building in Washington, DC, America. These designs became known as the high-wheel safety bicycles. Since the older high-wheel designs had been known simply as bicycles, they were now referred to as "ordinary bicycles" in comparison with the new-fangled designs, and then simply as "ordinaries." The Hard-Tired Safety The further improvement of metal works sparked the next innovation in cycle design, . Now metal that was now strong enough to make a fine chain and sprocket small and light enough for a human being to power, the next design was a return to the original configuration of two same-size wheels, only now, instead of just one wheel circumference for every pedal turn, you could, through the gear ratios, have a speed the same as the huge high-wheel. All bicycles still had the hard rubber tires, and in the absence of the long, shock-absorbing spokes, the ride they provided was much more uncomfortable than any of the high-wheel designs. Many of the bicycles of 100 years ago had front and/or rear suspensions. These designs competed with each other, your choice being the high-wheel's comfort or the safety's safety, but the next innovation tolled the death of the high-wheel design. The Pnuematic-Tired Safety The pnuematic tire was introduced to the bicycle by an Irish man who was trying to give his young son a more comfortable ride on his tricycle. This inventive young doctor's name was Dunlop- The Tyre Manufacter. Now riders had both comfort and safety . Cycles were getting cheaper as manufacturing methods improved, everyone wanted to ride bicycles.
For most people of the time it was a practical investment as transportation, and offered a much greater flexibility for leisure cycling as well as work related bike trips. Ladies, so far consigned to riding the heavy adult size tricycles, now could ride a much more versatile cycles and still keep their legs covered with long skirts. In fact the bicycle craze killed the bustle and the corset, instituted "common-sense dressing" for women and increased their mobility considerably. In 1896 Susan B. Anthony said that "the bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world." Bicycling was so popular by the 1880s and 1890s that cyclists formed the League of American Wheelman (still in existence and now called the League of American Bicyclists). The League lobbied for better roads, literally paving the road for the automobile. The Kid's Bike Introduced just after the First World War by several manufacturers, such as Mead, Sears Roebuck, and Montgomery Ward, to revitalize the bike industry (Schwinn made its big splash slightly later), these designs, now called "classic", featured automobile and motorcyle elements to appeal to kids who, presumably, would rather have a motor. If ever a bike needed a motor, this was it. These bikes evolved into the most glamorous, fabulous, ostentatious, heavy designs ever. It is unbelievable today that 14-year-old kids could do the tricks that we did on these 65 pound machines! They were built into the middle '50s, by which time they had taken on design elements of jet aircraft and even rockets. By the '60s, they were becoming leaner and simpler. The Current Scene Pedaling History has on display even the recent history of the bicycle in America that we are more familiar with: the "English 3-speed" of the '50s through the '70s, the 10-speed derailleur bikes which were popular in the '70s (the derailleur had been invented before the turn of the century and had been in more-or-less common use in Europe since), and of course the mountain bike of right now. There are also many oddball designs that never quite made it, including the Ingo (you have to see it to believe it!)
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Based in The City of York www.bikeoutlet.co.uk has grown from a small family run bike shop to one of the leading online cycle stores in the UK The Bike Outlet supplies a range of high quality cycles - Mountain Bikes, Road / Racing bicycles, BMX Bikes, Hybrid/City Bicycle, Kids Bikes, Cycle Accessories and Bike Spare Parts as well as much more. Bike Outlet has over 10 years experience in the cycling trade providing only good quality cycles and bicycle accessories .
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