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1534
Earliest unverified bicycle
The earliest bicycle is said to be from 1534 and attributed to Gian Giacomo Caprotti, a pupil of Leonardo da Vinci.
A rider sat astride the machine and pushed it along using his feet. -
The draisine or velocipede
The first verifiable claim for a practically used bicycle belongs to German Baron Karl von Drais. Drais invented his Laufmaschine (German for "running machine") in 1817, that was called Draisine by the press. It was the first commercially successful two-wheeled commonly called a velocipede, and nicknamed hobby-horse or dandy horse. It was initially manufactured in Germany and France. -
An era of 3 and 4-wheelers
These new machines had three or four wheels and came in a very wide variety of designs, using pedals, treadles (педали), and hand-cranks, but these designs often suffered from high weight and high rolling resistance. -
The reported Scottish inventions
The first mechanically propelled (самоходный) two-wheel vehicle is believed to have been built by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith (кузнец), in 1839. -
1860s and the Michaux or "boneshaker"
The first really popular and commercially successful design was French. Its design was simpler than the Macmillan bicycle. Pedaling made it easier for riders to propel the machine at speed. Different braking mechanisms were used depending on the manufacturer. -
The high-wheel bicycle
The high-bicycle was the logical extension of the boneshaker, the front wheel enlarging to enable higher speeds, the rear wheel shrinking and the frame being made lighter. -
The safety bicycle: 1880s and 1890s
The development of the safety bicycle was the most important change in the history of the bicycle. It shifted their use and public perception from being a dangerous toy for sporting young men to being an everyday transport tool for men—and, crucially, women—of all ages. -
The roadster
The ladies' version of the roadster's design. It had a step-through frame rather than the diamond frame of the gentlemen's model so that ladies, with their dresses and skirts could easily ride their bicycles. Though the ladies' version of the roadster largely fell out of fashion in England, it remains popular in the Netherlands; this is why some people refer to bicycles of this design as Dutch bikes. In Dutch the name of these bicycles is Omafiets ("grandma's bike"). -
The bicycle craze
Bicycles became very popular among elites and the middle classes in Europe and North America. It was the first bicycle that was suitable for women, and as such became the "freedom machine", giving women "a feeling of freedom and self-reliance". As bicycles became safer and cheaper, more women had access to the personal freedom they embodied (воплощать), and so the bicycle came to symbolic the New Woman of the late nineteenth century, especially in Britain and the United States. -
Popularity in Europe, decline in US
Cycling steadily became more important in Europe over the first half of the twentieth century, but it dropped off dramatically in the United States between 1900 and 1910. Automobiles became the preferred means of transportation. Over the 1920s, bicycles gradually became considered children's toys, and by 1940 most bicycles in the United States were made for children. -
North America: cruiser v racer
Heavyweight cruiser bicycles, preferred by the typical (hobby) cyclist, featuring balloon tires, pedal-driven "coaster" brakes and only one gear, were popular for their durability, comfort, streamlined appearance, and a significant array of accessories (lights, bells, springer forks, speedometers, etc..). -
China and the Flying Pigeon
The Flying Pigeon was at the forefront of the bicycle phenomenon in the People’s Republic of China. Its 20-kilo black single-speed models were popular with workers, and there was a waiting list of several years to get one. -
Mountain bikes
The first mass-produced mountain bike appeared, intended for use off-pavement over a variety of surfaces. Their popularity spurred (стимулировать) by the novelty (новинка) of all-terrain cycling and the increasing desire of urban dwellers to escape their surroundings via mountain biking and other extreme sports -
Hybrid and commuter bicycles
The 21st century has seen a continued application of technology to bicycles: in designing them, building them, and using them. Bicycle frames and components continue to get lighter and more aerodynamic without sacrificing strength largely through the use of computer aided design, finite element analysis, and computational fluid dynamics. -
Recumbent bicycle
In 1934, the Union Cycliste Internationale banned recumbent bicycles from all forms of officially sanctioned racing, at the behest of the conventional bicycle industry. This stagnation finally started to reverse with the formation of the International Human Powered Vehicle Association which holds races for "banned" classes of bicycle. Sam Whittingham set a human powered speed record of 132 km/h on level ground in a faired recumbent streamliner in 2009 at Battle Mountain.
