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German Baron Karl von Drais invented the first practical bicycle.
The first bicycle was made almost entirely out of wood, had iron wheels, and weighed approximately 48 pounds. Since there were no pedals, riders had to push their feet on the ground in order to move forward. While many others claim credit for the invention of the bicycle, von Drias was the first to actually build a working model. -
Velocipedes were invented.
Kirkpatric Mcmillan added pedals to the front wheel of the bike and created what was called "velocipede". It was also called "bone shaker" due to bone-jarring effect it had on riders. -
Velocipedes enter the U.S.
Velocipedes (the first bicycles with wheels) are manufactured in the United States and quickly become popular to ride. -
Rubber replaces iron tires.
In order to prevent such a bumpy ride, manufacturers added rubber tires instead of iron ones to velocipedes, and the term "bike" was first used. -
The high-wheel is introduced.
The first high wheel "Ordinary", called Ariel, was made in Britain. Ordinaries were introduced to the US shortly thereafter. -
1st gears are put on bikes.
Sturmey Archer invented the 1st international hub gears for a bicycle, which allowed riders to switch gears depending on their preferences. -
Bicycle boom
Because of increasing publicity for bicycles and bicycle racing, the public started to demand more bikes. 10 years later, the sales for bicycles surpassed the sales for cars. The bike continued to evolve, adding more gears and speed choices. Now there are many different varieties of bikes, including cruisers and racing bikes.
