History of the Bicycle

By breatonsager

  • The First Bicycle: "Wooden Horse"

    The first bicycle was made in 1791 by the Count de Sivrac of France. The machine was originally a simple wooden contraption with two wheels and a seat which was connected to a metallic-alloy vehicle. This version had no steering mechanism or brakes, and the rider had to push it with their feet.
  • The Velocipede

    The Velocipede

    Baron Karl Friedrich von Drais created a new version of the bicycle and named it the velocipede. This version had a steering device that was attached to the front wheel and connected with a wooden rod.

  • Gears

    In 1821 a man named Louis Gompertz created a type of gear rope that functions a lot like the gears we currently have today. The chain allowed two gear to be connected without being right next to one another. These chains consist of a hinge, two outer metal plates, and an inner metal plate.
  • The Michaudine

    The Michaudine

    Ernest Michaux added pedals by attaching two rods with nails on the ends of the axle of the front wheel. The size of the front wheel was increased to help the bike travel further in distance, but kept the back wheel the same size.
  • Metal vs Wood

    Metal vs Wood

    People started noticing that the wood used to make bikes would rot from the air moisture and would looks it stability. Companies started using iron and steel to make bikes to create a more damage resistant bike.

  • Pedals and Brakes

    Michaux improved his design by adding pedals and then creating a braking system. He did this by adding an iron pad to the bike near the rear wheel that was connected by a cable to the handlebars. When the rod was squeezes the brake pad rubbed against the wheels creating friction to slow the bike.

  • Tires

    John Dunlop invented a pneumatic rubber tire that was a tube made of vulcanized rubber with air. This resulted in bikes being able to absorb the impact that would happen what riding on imperfect landscapes.

  • Modern Innovations

    Since the late 1800s the bicycle hasn't changed significantly. The improvements have all been geared towards durability, comfort, speed, and efficiency of the overall performance/design.
  • Present

    Present

    Over the last 20 years, there has been a tremendous improvement in suspension. Bikes can now have both front and rear suspension that absorbs the force from impacts rather than the rider. Engineers have created devices that can lock shocks on bikes to help with suspension as wlel.

  • Sources: https://illumin.usc.edu/improving-the-bicycle/