The history of bicycling is an interesting and bizarre tale. You see, while he did not technically invent the first “bicycle,” Karl Von Drais made the first steerable two-wheel contraption. Known as the Velocipede, his style quickly fell out of the spotlight until French inventors Pierre Lament, Pierre Michaux, and Ernest Michaux developed the first prototype with wheels attached to the front. Eugene Mayer and James Starley later designed models with an increased front wheel to help with stability. This design became extremely popular, and many people began to partake in races. One notable use of this early bicycle was Thomas Stevens historic trip around the globe.
However, many people thought this design to be too dangerous since the saddle was four-feet high, making it difficult to firmly place yourself on it. This was all fixed when the nephew of James Starley, John Kemp Starley, made a safer design with equal sized wheels and a chain drive. From this, the bike craze exploded, and it became the widespread contraption used today.
We wouldn’t be where we are today without history. The bumpy ride that the bicycle took from conception to the invention we know today is incredible. I do not doubt that the bicycle will get more refined. We can never perfect something. But we can get close. And someday, future generations will recount the tale of the flimsy bicycle we know today and how it became something greater. We just must be around to make it.
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