The History of Bikes
The Walking Machine or Hobby Horse
• This was invented in 1817 by Baron von Drais in Germany.
• He was a very rich man and wanted to get around the paths of his very big garden.
• He rode it by pushing himself along and gliding around as there were no pedals.
• Not many people used this bike because it was only good for using on paths.
• It was made of wood.
The Bone Shaker or Velocipede
• This was invented in 1865.
• It has a big wheel at the front, a smaller one at the back and a high saddle.
• People rode it by pedalling.
• Not many people used this bike because it was uncomfortable.
• It was made of wood and metal.
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Image: Britannica
The Penny Farthing
This was invented in 1871 by James Starley.
The biggest wheel was at the front and the bigger the wheel, the farther you could
travel.
People rode it by pedalling.
Not many people used this bike as it was expensive, dangerous and heavy.
It was made of metal and rubber tyres.
The Pneumatic-Tired Safety
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Image: Wikipedia
The high wheeled tricycle
• This was invented for ladies because their long dresses would not get caught in the
spokes.
• The seat was much lower and the three wheels made it safer.
• Not many people used this bike as it too expensive.
• It was made of metal and rubber tyres.
Image: Wikipedia Commons
The Safety Bicycle
• This was invented by John Starley in 1871.
• It had a steerable front wheel, two equally-sized wheels, and a chain.
• It was called the safety bicycle because it was much safer than the Penny Farthing.
• Modern bikes are very similar to this bike design.
• It was made of metal and had hard rubber tyres which still made it uncomfortable.
Image: Wikipedia Commons
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The Pneumatic - Tired Safety Bicycle
This was invented by an Irish man called John Dunlop in 1888.
He wanted to invent a safe and comfortable bike for his son.
He took lengths of rubber garden hose and fitted it around the rim of his son’s
tricycle wheels.
He glued the ends together to make a tube. Then he put an air valve in the garden
hose, and pumped up the hose with a soccer ball air pump.