-
Origin uncertain (to a point)
While some confusion exists over the origins of the bicycle, it is generally agreed that Ernest Michaux of France invented the first pedal and crank system. However, dates for the innovation range between 1855 and 1861. He and his father Pierre were involved in the family coach building business. -
Period: to
Bikes from day 1
-
Early days
The first bicycles had wheels resembling carriage wheels and were somewhat ungainly to ride. Still, they were fashionable and appealed to a developing mechanical society. -
The high-wheeler
The high-wheel bike, also known as the penny farthing, was the first design to gain wide popularity. It was invented in England in 1871 and featured a metal frame and rubber tires. -
The bicycle goes mainstream
The rover, the first bicycle to move the passenger closer to the ground for improved safety, was invented in England in 1885 and became widely popular, effectively making the penny farthing obsolete. Its design components were remarkably similar to modern bikes. -
The Jameson Raid
The first officially recorded use of the bicycle in battle takes place as it is used by messengers in a raid during the Second Boer War in South Africa. The raid was meant to start an uprising but failed. Cecil Rhodes, the founder of Rhodesia, and Alfred Beit, a gold merchant who helped fund the attack, are pictured. -
First major American design
The Pierce-Arrow was the first significant bike designed in the U.S. and was invented in Buffalo, N.Y., in 1898. It featured shaft drive and a shock absorber built into the seat. Company records showed the first one was sold on June 16, 1898. By that date there were more than 300 U.S. bike makers. -
Le Tour de France begins
The legendary French cycling race debuts as the outgrowth of a fierce dispute between publishers of bicycling magazines. The event covers 19 days and is won at an average speed of just under 16 mph. -
The bike goes west
By the first years of the 20th century the bike was a common means of transportation, allowing users to cover dozens of miles without a horse or horseless carriage. They became particularly common in the western and midwest states and territories as an easy way to get from place to place. -
European development spreads
By the mid 1910s the European cycling industry had grown beyond its U.K. roots and was flourishing in Germany, France and Italy among others. This Es-Ka Gents bike was made in Bohemia (prehistoric Czechoslovakia) It features ornate paintwork and emblems as well as a leather saddle. -
Shelby makes its mark
The Shelby Bicycle Co., established in 1925, contributed some of the most collectable designs in bike history. Its 1928 Lindy model was built to commemorate Charles Lindbergh's historic nonstop flight to Paris. It is among the rarest collector cycles as fewer than 10 are known to exist. -
The Schwinn dynasty
Arthur Schwinn, who had been in the bike business in Chicago since 1896, introduces the Autocycle after consultations with motorcycle engineers, The top-of-the-line bike includes floating seats and handlebars as well as lights and a speedometer. -
The derailleur is Simplexified
The derailleur, which allows a multispeed bike to change gears, makes a leap forward when Simplex creates a mechanically advanced cable-driven shift system. It becomes so widely used that it is adopted for the 1938 Tour de France. -
Extreme velocity
Expatriate Frenchman Alfred Latourneur sets a record of 108.92 mph on a specially built bike using wooden rims. He set the record riding behind a car. Note the massive gearing. Letourneur went on to set several bike speed records. -
The tandem bike makes a comeback
The two-rider bike, moderately popular since its invention in the late 19th century, declined in popularity after World War II as soldiers coming home gravitated toward motorcycles. The tandem regained popularity in the mid-1950s and started to be used in competitions, eventually becoming Olympics staples. -
Move over, boys
Women, who had participated in men's cycling races in isolated instances for decades, were included in the world championships lineup for the first time. Elsy Jacobs won the first race held in the event in Rheims, France. -
Cycling boom
link to English 3-speed tutorial
The advent of the President's Councin on Physical Fitness and Sports helps fuel a bicycling renaissance of sorts. The English three-speed bike, in production since the 1930s and the progenitor of the 10-speed, becomes popular as the Raleigh name becomes synonymous with the style. . -
The oil embargo
Oil embargo news item The oil crisis of the early 1970s helped raise awareness of cycling as an alternative to automotive transport. By then the 10-speed bike, popularized in the U.S. by Schwinn's Varsity model, was widely popular. -
The bike goes offroading
The first prototype mountain bike, the JBX1, becomes the first in a long line of offroad cycles, opening up the wilderness to the average biker. Developed in California, the new design includes a curved fork blade with additional supports and special tires. Mountain bike sales rose to almost 40 percent of the market by 2001. -
Female empowerment
Close finish
The women's version of the Tour de France, won by Marianne Martin, is run for the first time and women's road-racing events are included in the Olympics. Connie Carpenter-Phinney of the U.S., a pioneer in national cycling circles, wins one of the closest finishes in Olympic history. -
One for the ages
A razor-thin win American Greg LeMond wins the Tour de France by 8 seconds over Laurent Fignon of France, the closest finish in Tour history. LeMond's margin of victory equates to less than 90 yards after a race covering more than 2,000 miles. -
Technobiking
Technological innovations continue to appear throughout the 1990s, with Shimano of Japan introducing integrated braking and gearchange levers and Sachs offering the SRAM PowerDisc, the world's first mass-produced hydraulic cycle braking system. The technology, borrowed from the automotive world, boosts biking safety. -
Mountain biking goes global
Dutch treat
Mountain biking events are included in the Olympics for the first time in Atlanta, Ga. The first race is won by Bart Brentjens of the Netherlands. -
Industry data
The U.S. cycling industry tops the $6 billion mark in total annual sales by the first decade of the new millenium. More than half a million people say they cycle to work in the U.S. on a daily basis. There are an estimated 1 billion bicycles in use worldwide.
