Bicycles

Leonardo da Vinci sketched a facsimile of the modern bicycle in 1490 but never built it. Another precursor was the celerifere of 1790, which lacked steering. The first bicycle was Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn's wooden Draisienne, which debuted in Paris in 1818. Also called the hobbyhorse or running machine, the Draisienne was steerable and had two in-line wheels on a frame that the rider straddled as he walked.

In 1839 Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith, created a wooden self-propelled bike that weighed 56 pounds and used swinging cranks on the front wheel to power rods linked to levers on the rear wheel.

Pierre and Ernest Michaux built the velocipede, or boneshaker, in 1865—a two-wheeled riding machine with pedals on the front wheel. Also made of wood, with wooden tires initially and metal tires later, the velocipede was a rough ride on the era's cobblestone streets. For some time, the velocipede was considered the first bicycle, but the Draisienne now gets that honor. The velocipede was renamed “bicycle” in 1869.

Once metalworking techniques advanced enough to make strong small parts, the first all-metal bicycle appeared. It was the 1870 high wheel, with pedals attached directly to the front wheel and no freewheeling mechanism. Tires were made of solid rubber, and the long spokes of the front wheel served to absorb some of the shock. As manufacturers learned that a larger wheel produced greater distance per rotation, the front wheels became larger and larger, stopping only at the length of [Page 76]the rider's leg. With the rider high above the machine's center of gravity, any abrupt stop because because of a rut, stone, or stray dog would cause the machine to rotate forward on the front axle. The rider's legs became stuck under the handlebars, and the rider landed on his head, “taking a header.”

In 1986 bicycling was the third most popular U.S. participation sport, after swimming and general exercise. Biking enthusiasts ride for exercise, transportation, and as a way to “get back to nature.”

At half a year's working-class wages, the high wheel was the preserve of young men of means. Its heyday was the 1880s. The adult tricycle was the sedate alternative for the woman rider, restrained by corsets and long skirts, as well as clergy, doctors, and other dignified persons. Tricycle manufacturers introduced band brakes, rack-and-pinion steering, the differential, and other devices later used by automobile manufacturers.

To reduce the risk of “taking a header,” some bicycles were made with the small wheel in front. These were “safety bicycles,” and the older models were “ordinary bicycles” or ordinaries. The English high ordinary bicycle was also called the Penny Farthing because the large and small wheels resembled a penny and a farthing set together, dating from 1871.