History Of The Bicycle

By Author: Matt Peterson
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While there has been some disagreement among historians regarding the inventor of the bicycle, with some texts referencing French inventors Pierre and Ernest Michaux and others giving credit to German inventor Karl Drais von Sauerbronn, credit for the earliest recorded imaginings of a bicycle can safely be awarded to Lionardo DaVinci. DaVinci's 1490 sketch of a modern bicycle easily predates the Michaux's and von Sauerbronn's creations by several centuries; however, there is no evidence that DaVinci ever made efforts to bring his sketch into being.

The Debate

Debate on the topic is clouded even further by other inventors and their creations, namely de Sivrac, a French craftsman, and his "celerifere." This machine, with a central bar and two wheels, one in front and one in back of the rider, who straddled the central bar, allowed the rider to move forward and back. While a precursor to the bicycle, the celerifere was technically a walking machine, as the rider still moved the machine through foot-to-ground force.

The debate moves forward to the early 19th century, when von Sauerbronn created the next generation ...
... of walking machine in 1817. The revolution with von Sauerbronn's machine was the addition of steering components to the walking machine bar, allowing the rider to not only move forward and backward but to turn or steer the machine as well. Count Karl Drais von Sauerbronn's machine still required the rider to move utilizing foot-to-ground force and therefore would still not be the equivalent of a bicycle, though it can certainly be considered an ancestor.

In 1839, a Scot by the name of Kirkpatrick MacMillan created a treadle and rod bicycle. Though rear-propelled, MacMillan, a blacksmith by trade, invented his machine for use in rural Scotland where communication of and use of the invention did not prosper. MacMillan is therefore rarely credited with distinct contribution to the official timeline of the history of the bicycle, as it is difficult to determine if his invention or news of it had any significant impact on the later creations of other inventors.

The Subtle Improvements

The father and son duo of French inventors, dubbed in most texts as inventors of the modern bicycle, Pierre and Ernest Michaux, introduced the "velocipede" in 1865. This machine, originally constructed entirely of wood, included peddles that attached to the front wheel, removing walking entirely for the first time in the history of the bicycle.

Later versions of the velocipede included metal wheels, replacing the more rickety wooden version. Early versions of walking and riding machines had a larger front wheel, in an effort to make the machines sturdier and more manageable on the often uneven and rough paths and roads on which they were used.

An all-metal version of a bicycle was not introduced until 1870, when advancements in science allowed the creation of intricate and study metal components; however, even these all-metal versions still utilized the larger front wheel design. Rubber was eventually added to the wheels, though these early rubber tires were not inflated or evenly distributed in many cases.

British inventors brought many of the more advanced components of the modern bicycle into play, with the inclusion of ball bearings, gears, chain drives, and metal spokes in their creations. These new components eventually allowed bicycle designs to include symmetric wheels, eliminating the larger and less easily manipulated front wheel from the design.

In the late 1800s, an Irish veterinarian by the name of Dunlop invented the modern pneumatic tire, stabilizing bicycles even further and increasing safety for riders.

Birth of the Bicycle for Everyday, Anybody Use

Symmetry of wheel size, inclusion of more advanced components, pneumatic tire pressure, and streamlining of the frame designs allowed bicycles to be more stable and increased the overall ability of nearly any consumer to easily handle and steer one safely, thereby increasing their everyday use.

Women's bicycles developed with a slanted center bar to allow for early female riders to more easily and discretely mount and dismount bicycles in dresses. The design was also intended to help keep the female rider's garments clean and away from dirty and oily bike parts like the early chain drive.

Children's bicycles were introduced after World War I, and based on the more classic and less maneuverable early bicycle designs, perhaps intended to increase the safety of the rider and remove the possibility of the child riding too quickly or haphazardly.

The Modern Bicycle

Modern cycling has evolved from a long history of inventions that mixed to become the various models of bicycles available on the current market. These models include the old high-wheel bicycles with large front wheels, high-wheeled tricycles, tandem bikes, children's bikes and tricycles, standard bikes for the average rider, multi-speed bikes for the cycling enthusiast, and racing bikes, for the professional competitor or semi-professional adventurist.
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