A Complete History of Bicycling – Bicycle Reviews for Riders

A Complete History Of The Bicycle
Table of Contents

Everything you need to know about how, when, and why the bicycle was first invented, and how it has changed over the years. 

Introduction

Man and woman riding a bicycle

Before there was the automobile, there was the bicycle. 

Unfortunately, the history of bicycling is not as simple as you might assume. There is a lot of contention over the actual facts of how the bicycle first came to be, with much controversy and misinformation with contradicting tales of its origin. Nice and easy to learn about, then…

There is even a yearly Bicycle History conference that is held in an attempt to clarify some of the details surrounding bicycle history, but one thing that we do know is that the bicycles of then are a far cry from the modern bicycles that we see on the streets today. 

Karl Von Drais is known as the inventor of bicycles while John Kemp Starley from Great Britain invented the improved model of an ordinary bicycle.

Through a bit of thorough research and some digging into the past developments that were involved with inventing the bicycle as well as making it into what we know it to be today, we have been able to put together this article which contains a complete history of the two-wheeled bikes. 

From when, where, and by whom the bicycle was invented to the different types of bicycles there are for you to choose from today, we have covered everything you will need to know. 

So, it is time to put your pedal to the metal – and let’s go! 

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Who Invented The Bicycle?

The first bicycle with a picture of Giovanni Fontana  next to it

Arguably the most important questions to ask if you are attempting to learn more about the history of bicycles are as follows: when, where, and by whom was the bicycle first invented?

We’ll start with that last one. 

It was an Italian engineer who first started the bicycle off on its path to becoming what we now know it to be. Giovanni Fontana (de la Fontana) created not two, but a four-wheeled contraption with a loop of rope that was connected by gears and powered by humans. 

However, Karl von Drais is generally credited with inventing the bicycle as we know it today. He was a German baron and a civil servant, and he was the first to patent his design of the bicycle which is what has led to the commercially successful designs of today’s bicycles. 

When Was The Bicycle Invented?

Fontana’s version of the bicycle, with its four wheels and looped gears design, was originally built in 1418. However, it was not until around 400 years later in 1813 that someone else came along to continue and build upon Fontana’s foundations for the bicycle and Karl von Drais, a German aristocrat and inventor, started to work on what he named a Laufmaschine.

This was also powered by humans and had four wheels, but in 1817 Drais did away with two of them and presented to the world the first two-wheeled vehicle; the Draisienne, the dandy horse, or the hobby horse, depending on which of the several names that you know it by!

Where Was The Bicycle Invented?

Depending on who you are crediting it to, the bicycle’s invention can be traced back to Germany, where you will find the first (and most importantly, the first actually verifiable) claim of a bicycle is fit for practical use. This, of course, was Karl von Drais’ version of the bike. 

However, the manufacturing of these first bicycle designs took place in both Germany and France. It was not long before other countries took hold of this idea and began to produce their own versions of the bicycle as well as recreating Drais’ original designs of the bike. 

It was only a few years later in 1818 that the bicycle was being produced in other Western countries such as the United Kingdom, where models were produced and sold in London. 

History of The Bicycle: Timeline

Different Bicycles

Thanks to the annual Bicycle History conference, we have come a long way with what we know about bicycle history today, and we have therefore been able to piece together a timeline that will show you all the significant discoveries about the bicycle. 

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The 1800s

The 1800s was the decade that saw the birth of the bicycle and some key changes that helped to shape it into what we know it to be today. 

  • 1818 – Karl von Drais invented the dandy horse; a two-wheeled vehicle that gained momentum as the rider used his two feet to propel the contraption along the ground. It was not particularly safe, nor easy to ride, and it was missing three of the essential components you would expect to see today- brakes, pedals, and a way to steer. 
  • 1850 – After getting rid of two wheels, a third was reintroduced to the bicycle to improve stability while the bicycle was in motion. This made it much safer to ride. 
  • 1860 – The first bicycle to inspire the bicycles of today was invented by Ernest Michaux and Pierre Lallement, and they named it the velocipede.
  • 1861 – By this point, bicycles now had a type of crank and pedals, but it was still missing the all-important safety brakes. This resulted in more than a few accidents. 
  • 1870 – This was the year the Penny Farthing bicycle was invented, named after its two wheels (you would have thought that they would have made up their minds about the number of wheels by this point) which looked like two coins, a penny and farthing. The difference between the two wheels’ sizes made it difficult to mount and dismount the bicycle and only the front wheel contributed to powering the vehicle and steering. 
  • 1885 – If you want to talk about a difference in wheel size, then the safety bicycle is the one you should look at. Invented by John Kemp Starley, this bike was named due to its increased safety thanks to having a lower centre of gravity due to the wheels. 
  • 1894 – Towards the end of the 1800s, a bicycle called the Betty Bloomers was considered the height of fashion as women had the freedom to wear longer, flowing skirts which made it much easier and more comfortable to ride compared to tricycles. 

The 1900s

In the 1900s, the bicycle still went through a few changes but these were less obvious in a visual sense, with the aim to make the bicycle safer again. 

  • 1903 – Internal hub gears were added to the bicycle improving its safety. 
  • 1920 – Now the bicycle isn’t just reserved for adult use as the first kids’ bike was invented. It was designed to weigh about 65 pounds and took inspiration from a few different elements of the motor car as bikes were less desirable than automobiles.
  • 1930 – More improvements were made as children’s treatment of the bicycle showed it to be slightly lacking in durability, especially when there is a teenage boy as the rider. Schwinn added a spring fork and fat tires in order to combat this abuse. This was later used as the blueprint for creating a bike designed for hardy mountain use. 

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The 2000s

  • 2000 – This is when the electric bike was invented by Miroslav Miljevic. It was powered by a solar battery and it was deemed the perfect choice of bicycle for commuters who would be riding round outside all day which would charge the bike so that by the end of a hard, long working day, they do not need to pedal the bike home. 

Different Types of Bicycles

Different Types Of Bicycles

Here is a brief list of the main types of bicycles that are commonly used (and what they are used for) today: 

  • Road Bikes: These are used for road cycling. 
  • Mountain Bikes: These are used for off-road cycling. 
  • Hybrid/Commuter Bikes: These are used for a few different purposes. 
  • Cyclocross Bikes: These are used for a few different purposes but they still feel like a road bikes. 
  • Folding Bikes: These are used for commuting, leisure, or bicycle touring if you are trying to minimize how much space you will take up with your bike. 
  • Electric Bikes: These are used for a few different purposes but the rider is assisted due to the bicycle being powered by solar-generated electricity. 
  • Touring Bikes: These are designed to carry heavy loads over further distances yet they are still relatively comfortable to ride. 
  • Women’s Bikes: These are designed to do all of the above, but they have been designed with the typical women’s frame and build in mind. 

We will go into further detail below so that if you are currently looking for a bike of your own, you can gather a better idea of which type of bike will most suit you and your needs.

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Road Bike

Road bikes are designed specifically to handle road use (as you might have already guessed from the name…) and are optimized for maximum efficiency. For this reason, they are not the best choice if you are looking for a bike to take out on mountain trails. 

They typically feature a lightweight frame, slim tires, handlebars that are dropped, and a high gear ratio that allows you to travel at higher speeds.

Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes are usually thicker than road bikes due to a need to withstand rockier, uneven surfaces and mountain terrains. They typically feature wider tires that are slightly knobbly to improve the traction between the wheels of the bike and the ground beneath. 

Some mountain bikes will also have front suspension and then be more fixed in the rear, which is known as a hardtail bike, although others have both front and rear suspension to lessen the impact you feel as the bike rides over lumps and bumps in the road. 

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Hybrid/Commuter Bikes

These are a bit of a hybrid between road and mountain bikes and take the best parts of each style to create a bicycle that is perfect for versatile use.

Hybrid or commuter bikes will typically feature flatter handlebars and will not be dropped, as well as sometimes having front suspension to see you over bumps on the road. Comfort is one of the key aspects of these bikes and you can change the tires to suit your use. 

Cyclocross Bikes

These are also sometimes referred to as cross bikes and are similar to road bikes, except you can swap the slim tires out for something that will give you more traction in the winter. For this reason, a cyclocross bike can be a great choice for riding all year round.

Typically, you will find defining features on a cyclocross bike, such as dropped handlebars and plenty of clearance space given to the wheels as well as mudguards. Compared to a hybrid bike, a cyclocross bike is closer to a road bike of two.

Folding Bikes

Unsurprisingly, these bikes fold up and can be stored easily thanks to their compact design. They will usually fold up without hassle and have small wheels with an upright frame. 

Electric Bikes

Electric bikes are relatively new still as the kinks are worked out but they are partially powered by electricity thanks to a battery and a motor. This does mean however that they are heavier compared to other types of bikes, but they can assist you in riding uphill, for example.

They typically look similar to a hybrid, mountain, or road bike. 

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Women’s Bikes

The only difference between women’s bikes is that they are built specifically to suit a smaller frame and they come in a variety of sizes to suit this purpose. Some also have a step-through frame which also makes it easier to mount, dismount, and ride when wearing a skirt or dress.

Women’s bikes are not only for women, so can be used by anyone that finds them comfortable or the right fit for them and their needs. Typically they have a lightweight frame and a shorter crossbar, as well as a shorter and slightly wider saddle seat. 

Early Variations of the Bicycle

Back when the bicycle was originally invented, or at the very least, when the concept for bicycles was first introduced and put into practice, they both looked and worked differently. 

Karl von Drais designed the first bicycle in response to the increasing issues related to horse-powered transportation. Starvation was a real problem after the eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia which occurred in 1815, as the lowered global temperature affected crops all over the world in this wake which caused crop failure and limited food rations. 

His hobby horses as they were then called could hardly be classed as aerodynamic, nor could they gain much momentum and speed, but they were a good alternative at the time. 

These early variations of the bicycle weighed around 50 pounds (23 kilograms) and were made up of two wooden wheels that were attached via a frame that was also made of wood. 

To ride these bicycles, you would sit on a saddle made from upholstered leather that was attached to the frame and you could steer using a simple set of handlebars, again made of wood. What they didn’t have, however, are two essentials of bikes today; pedals and gears.

Riders had to power the device themselves by propelling themselves forward with their feet.

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Bone Shakers and Penny Farthing Bicycles

The next bicycle design that most people would find easily recognizable if they were to be presented with a picture of it, you know, if you were at a pub quiz or something similar, is a bone shaker (also referred to as a velocipede or fast foot) and the penny farthing bicycle. 

Just like their predecessors, these two types of bicycles were not the safest (nor were they particularly comfortable…) which limited their popularity and meant that you felt every bump.

These bicycles were, however, the first to have gears and pedals included in their design, although as we have mentioned, knowing who to credit with this is a bit of a tricky one. 

To give you slightly more detail on this, it was not until 1866 that pedals were included in any patent for bicycles, which was applied for by a French marriage maker Pierre Lallement after he was able to get a U.S. patent for a two-wheeled device with crank pedals (a velocipede). 

The designs changed again not too long after this time when wooden materials and bicycle bodies were replaced with metal alternatives to make the bicycle safer and more durable.

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Bicycles Today

Bicycles Today

These days, bicycle designs typically include a number of key elements and although they have been altered slightly to maximize rider safety over the years, the fundamental aspects of a bicycle’s design have not changed. These include the following bicycle parts: 

  • Wheels
  • Frame
  • Brakes
  • Gears

So, let’s take a look at just what has changed about these over the years…

How The Bicycle Has Changed and Evolved Over The Years

Despite how much they have changed and evolved over the years, it is not always easy to see just how much in terms of physical appearance. We will go over this in more detail here. 

Wheel Evolution

You could ask pretty much anyone to draw you a picture of a bicycle wheel and most would turn the piece of paper around to show you a circular shape with spokes that stem outwards from the centre. These spokes keep the rim attached to the hub, and generally, it has been this way since the initial invention of the bicycle – unless you are willing to pay a lot more. 

If you are looking for a bike with higher quality materials and improved aerodynamics, then there are some differences on modern wheels that come with a higher price tag also attached, but there are even more subtle differences and innovations on modern wheels. 

For example, one of the main changes is how the wheel joins the axle. 

In a freewheel design, “the spokes meet the axle where the axle meets the frame, meaning road stresses are transferred more-or-less directly to the frame.” On the other side, “the spokes meet the axle slightly off-centre, while the gears (and the freewheel that allows them to rotate freely in only one direction) take up the space between there and the frame.”

If the axle snapped, this would then put enormous pressure on the bicycle frame, so the wheels were soon upgraded to a free hub instead of a freewheel design where the spokes attached to the axle that was next to the frame to mirror the design on the other side. 

Future evolution saw the axle slot into a small notch in the frame and held in place thanks to a skewer that was screwed into place, but this made it a bit tricky to remove the wheels. Modern bikes still use this, but they ensure that everything is aligned when reattached. 

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Frame Evolution

The most notable difference in the evolution of frames for bicycles is the switch from wood to metal material for its manufacture. Their design consisted of geometric shapes and the frame was made up of triangles due to the difficulty and cost of working with these metals.

These days, however, the quality of carbon fibre has been greatly improved and can be shaped how you desire with much more ease. It is also much cheaper and more lightweight.

Other metals, too, have improved over the years which has allowed the design of bicycle frames to evolve with them. For example, aluminum can also now be used to create pretty much any frame shape by first forcing it into a mould of the intended design. 

The way everything is attached to the frame has also changed. The tube that connects to the seat sits further down on the frame than it once did and allows for more flexibility. 

The handlebars were once attached using hardware that was part of the frame itself and could be expanded or contracted by tightening or loosening a bolt that secured it in place. These days, the fork extends so it is taller than the frame and the handles are secured here. 

Brakes Evolution

You would think that the brakes would be one area of a bike’s design that would be ever-changing and improving in order to improve user safety, but there have not been any dramatic changes to their design since they were first included as part of the bike’s design. 

Simply put, the brakes are connected to the rest of the bike via a cable that is used to move different levers that then apply pressure on the brake pads causing them to press on the wheel rims and cause the bicycle to slow down. It may sound simple, but it does the job well. 

However, riding over certain types of bumpy terrain could easily disrupt the alignment which can cause the brakes to wear away the tires as they rub against them during a bicycle ride. 

This would cause unevenness on the brake pads which would then affect their effectiveness.

Disk brakes helped to solve this problem by separating the wheel and braking system. Thanks to the addition of another, smaller metal ring that is attached to the wheels in a way that mirrors its orientation, there are pads that nestle into the forks or on the frame. 

When the brake lever is pulled and the pads exert pressure on the wheels, the bicycle is able to come to a much quicker stop and they maintain good alignment of the wheels. 

These evolved further when disk brakes moved away from traditional cables and were replaced by hydraulic systems as these are much improved and prevent an uneven distribution of pressure on the wheels. Not only did they last longer, but they were safer, too.

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Gears Evolution

The last notable change that we have seen in the bicycle’s design throughout history is the gears system. Mainly, there are now almost twice as many gears available depending on the make and model of your bike. Shifting gears is also almost completely different. 

Instead of small paddles that would pull or loosen a cable that caused a change in the gear you are using, the ‘90s saw the introduction of indexed shifting where paddles would lock into a small notch at various points in their rotation as you attempted to change the gears. 

Provided that everything was well lined up, this allowed for easy, fuss-free gear changing! 

This was taken one step further when people figured out that the paddles were not a necessary requirement and that you could actually have an index system that worked from inside the brake handles, making it easier again to shift gears whilst you were riding. 

All you would need to do is rotate the handles which would shift you up or down a gear. This means you can ride and change gears all without taking your hands off the handlebars, which is incredibly handy if you are coming up a steep hill but need to continue steering. 

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The Future of The Bicycle

The Future Of The Bicycle

We have spent the majority of this article looking back at the history of the bicycle, but what about when we look forward to the future of the bicycle and what is possibly to come? 

The digital revolution we have experienced over the past few years has helped to transform a number of different areas of our lives today, and this includes our methods of transport. With that being said, the bicycle has not had too many recent changes in terms of its design.

However, some predictions have been made as to what the future of the bicycle may look like, and this points towards a vehicle that is as innovative as iPhones compared to a Nokia. 

With the global warming crisis on the horizon and worsening due to the fact that a large percentage of the population is still in denial about the harmful effects it will have on our planet and our daily lives, bicycles could be the future of urban transportation in general.

This was confirmed in a study by Deloitte that highlights how important bicycles already are and will be in helping to reduce traffic congestion and improving air quality in urban areas. As Jessica Coulon put it, “more people biking and less pollution is good news” for the planet.

Even though there has been some controversy surrounding e-bikes and their authenticity, as well as how effective they are as a means of improving your fitness levels, it looks like these bicycles are here to stay and they certainly have the potential to change bike use forever. 

Other technological improvements that have the potential to affect the future of the bicycle industry include 3D printing which can be used in the manufacturing of both parts and accessories, a larger selection of smartphone apps that can be used to plan better cycle routes, and online sites that can help to connect you with other riders looking to bike share. 

Plus, you may even be able to pair your smartphone device with your bicycle soon through the continuing development of 5G, which would result in improved robotics and the ability to connect so you can listen to your favourite music or podcasts while you are riding your bike.

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Summary

Two men riding a bicycle one man riding with square wheels and the other man with riding circle wheels

The bicycle is a vehicle that has undergone some serious changes over the years, as we have been able to demonstrate throughout this article on the history of bicycles. 

We hope we have been able to shed light on some of the lesser-known bicycle historical facts and that you are now feeling confident in your knowledge of how, when, why, and by whom it was originally created, as well as who played a major role in developing the bicycle into what it is today. You should also know the different types of bicycles. 

A modern bicycle or a mountain bike is an appropriate running machine with solid rubber tires. Practical bicycles have pneumatic tires, iron rims, ball bearings and more for a comfortable ride.

This running machine is a hobby horse for many riders. It is a practical bicycle for pedestrian curricle and a commercially successful bicycle with a warranty for many parts for many years.

The Penny Farthing bicycle is a great mountain bike with an awesome design that is made for a smoother ride. Mass production of the safety bicycles and a pollution-free environment are the primary reasons for the bicycle boom.

An ordinary bicycle with a wooden frame is a great option for mountain biking. The early history of the two wheeled machines during World War II can be seen in the Glasgow museum.

As well as knowing more about the past history of bicycles, we hope you have also enjoyed what we had to say about the future of bicycles, as there are plenty of exciting new advancements and developments that we are yet to see or experience.

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daniel in queenstown with mountain bike

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