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invented by the German Baron Karl von Drais. It is regarded as the modern bicycle's forerunner; Drais introduced it to the public in Mannheim in summer 1817 and in Paris in 1818.
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In the early 1860s, Frenchmen Pierre Michaux and Pierre Lallement took bicycle design in a new direction by adding a mechanical crank drive with pedals on an enlarged front wheel (the velocipede). This was the first in mass production. everal inventions followed using rear-wheel drive, the best known being the rod-driven velocipede by Scotsman Thomas McCall in 1869. In that same year, bicycle wheels with wire spokes were patented by Eugène Meyer of Paris
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In 1868 Rowley Turner, a sales agent of the Coventry Sewing Machine Company (which soon became the Coventry Machinists Company), brought a Michaux cycle to Coventry, England. His uncle, Josiah Turner, and business partner James Starley, used this as a basis for the 'Coventry Model' in what became Britain's first cycle factory
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Starley's 1885 Rover, manufactured in Coventry is usually described as the first recognizably modern bicycle. Soon the seat tube was added, creating the modern bike's double-triangle diamond frame.
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Pnuematic tires: Invented by John Boyd Dunlop, Ireland; Develops air-filled tires that provide a smoother ride than the previously used hard-rubber tires.
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The bicycle craze in the 1890s also led to a movement for so-called rational dress, which helped liberate women from corsets and ankle-length skirts and other restrictive garments, substituting the then-shocking bloomers
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Kid's bicycles become popular.
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Built-in kickstands developed.
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Racing bicycles become popular and feature dropped handlebars, narrow tires, numerous speeds and a lighter frame.
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One of the profound economic implications of bicycle use is that it liberates the user from oil consumption.The bicycle is an inexpensive, fast, healthy and environmentally friendly mode of transport.
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Spurred by mountain biking and extreme sports, mountain bicycles become a popular consumer item and feature sturdier frames, larger wheels and flat handlebars.
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Mountain bicycles appear in the Olympics.
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Lithium Iron Phosphate batteries become one of the first widely used lithium batteries on e-bikes
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International manufacturer Shimano develops electronic gears that allow for faster shifting.
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Adaptrac invents a system allowing the rider to individually adjust tire pressure while riding. Through a system of carbon dioxide cartridges, this allows riders to maintain optimum traction when riding conditions change.
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Otherwise known as NMC batteries, this is a newer type of lithium battery that starts becoming popular with electric bicycles around 2013-2014. NMC delivers higher power in a smaller package than previous models.