-
The First "Bike" Made
Most commonly called the Draisienne, the first bicycle mechanism was made by German Karl von Drais. It had the normal bicycle frame and 2 wheels, but it was propelled by walking, as it had no pedals and wasn't too stable. It got internationally banned to use on the roads later that year because the bikes couldn't balance on them. -
The Boneshaker (Literally)
When 2 French brothers — Ernest and Pierre Micheaux — sought out to make improvements on Drais' bike, all they ended up making was the most uncomfortable ride of your life. The boneshaker had pedals and cranks on the front wheel, and a smaller rear wheel. But, it's wooden frame, iron wheels, straight angles, and heavy build held it back from being a popular form of transportation. In other words, it was a great concept, but had a poor execution. -
The High-Wheeler
This high-wheeler was the first model to be called a bicycle — 2 wheels. Invented by James Starley, it's high front wheel allowed you to travel farther with 1 rotation, and it's metal body and rubber tires gave you a smooth and comfortable ride. But, it was very expensive and the majority of its popularity came from young men and acrobats, nevertheless if you encounter a bump or small object, you would go landing head first. -
The Rover Safety Bicycle
As stated in the same, the Rover Safety Bike is a mechanism safer than ordinary bikes. John Kemp Starley — James Starley's nephew — created this bike, and it has a strong metal chain and same-sized wheels, similar in frame to bikes today. But for the first few years after its creation, its rubber tires and absence of shock absorbers gave you a safe yet uncomfortable ride. -
Pneumatic Tires
In 1888, Irish John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic tires from Scottish Robert W. Thomson's failed patent. The whole gimmick with these tires is that they give you a very smooth ride compared to hard rubber tires, as they were filled with air. Pneumatic tires are still used to this day. -
Kids Bikes
During the 1920s, kids bikes skyrocketed in popularity. After the first world war, automobiles became the norm of transportation, and bikes were seen as children's toys. So, many manufacturers embarked in making kids bikes to revive the bicycle industry, and added elements to appeal to children while also being safe and comfortable. As time was passing, they slowly became simpler and even better for kids. -
Bikes for Fitness
During the '60s, racing bikes became very popular and appealed to athletes. They featured lower handlebars, slim tires, numerous gears, and had a lighter body. The President's Council of Physical Fitness sought out to renew bike interest in fitness in America, and did so all around the world. -
The Mountain Bike
Created by a group of men from the earlier Schwinn bike, the mountain bike's emergence came from the popularity in mountain biking and extreme sports. They featured a sturdier body, large tires, and flat handle bars and were designed to take battering from the rough terrain. Later in 1996, the mountain biking was a sport in the 1996 Summer Olympics. -
Links
I couldn't fit the links into the all the boxes, so I'll use this tab to put them in.
http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall08/Mancone/history.html
http://www.ibike.org/library/history-timeline.htm Please note that there are no clear dates for any of these bikes, so I just put the year it was made in.
