The Bicycle

Evolution of the Bicycle

The below diagram (click to enlarge) clearly shows how the bicycle has evolved over the years.

The chain of evolution was first flagged off with the invention of push-bikes. Also known as draisines or hobby horses, these first came into existence in Paris in 1818. Made of a wooden frame and two wheels, the draisines had to be operated by pushing the earth with the feet while sitting on the vehicle.

This first effort into designing a human powered vehicle, received a huge facelift with the introduction of pedals and crank arms attached to the front wheel. This design was introduced by Pierre Michaux and Pierre Lallement, two Frenchmen in the 1860s. The design gained popularity since man could now make more efficient use of the effort he put in moving the vehicle forward which made things more convenient. This went on to develop into the "penny-farthing" which had huge front wheels and a high seat. The huge front wheels ensured more distance was covered with the use of lesser effort, but riding them was a real task due to the clumsy weight-distribution of the vehicle.

To address these concerns, came the dwarf safeties or the safety bicycle This one had wheels of equal diameter and the seat was placed further back. Gearing was introduced and the pedal could now be in the centre of the bicycle. Power was transmitted from the pedals to the rear wheel with the use of a sprocket-chain system and the modern bicycle was born.

The safety bicycle became extremely popular and widely accepted by all people. This resulted in a flurry of innovations to make the bicycle even more comfortable and rider-friendly. John Boyd Dunlop, a Scotsman used pneumatic tires for the first time in the late 1880s and these became an instant hit and continue to be used even to this day. Around the same time, hand operated brakes that had cables attached to break-shoes were also invented.

By the time the 19th century was coming to an end, bicycling became a real passion and touring on bicycles and organizing bicycle races became the norm. As a consequence, racing bicycles and mountain bicycles came into existence.

These vehicles have stayed on for so long that getting rid of them seems to be an impossibility. This longevity maybe attributed to continuous changes and improvements in the way bicycles are designed and manufactured.

Continuous experiments on newer and more efficient designs are still on and better designs are still coming out everyday.