Individual Assignment: Section 1

History of Bicycles

Many of you will have a bicycle at home. Some of you will have several bicycles that belong to different members of your family.

The Walking Machine

In 1817 Baron von Drais invented a walking machine that would help him get around the royal gardens faster. The machine became known as the Hobby Horse. It was made of wood with a wooden frame and wooden wheels but there were no pedals and no brakes. There was a handle fixed to the front wheel which was used to steer. It wasn’t very good on bumpy ground and it was very hard work to make it move, because it had to be moved by using your legs as though you were running. To make it stop you had to use your feet. It wasn’t easy to ride a Hobby Horse! A lot of people laughed at it. They were sure that it would fall over and thought it was a very silly idea. (G. Donald Adams, 1997).

The Velocipede or Boneshaker

In 1865 another two-wheeled riding machine was invented. It was called the velocipede fast foot but was known as the“Bone Shaker”. A blacksmith called Mr. Macmillan had the clever idea of putting pedals on the front wheel so that instead of having to push the bike along with your feet, you could pedal it along.

The bike was much faster than the Hobby Horse and people liked it but if you wanted to stop, you had to pedal backwards. The wheels were still made of wood but to stop them wearing out they put a metal strip round the wheels to protect them. The roads were very rough and bumpy in those days. Sometimes there was only a muddy track with lots of pot holes. This meant that it was very uncomfortable to ride on, especially over cobblestone roads. It shook your bones and that was why it was called a bone shaker. I like these kinds of bicycle. (G. Donald Adams, 1997).

The Penny Farthing

In 1870 the first metal machine appeared. The pedals were still attached to the front wheel but it had solid rubber tyres that made it much more comfortable to ride than the Boneshaker.

It had a big wheel at the front and a small wheel at the back. You had to sit on top of the big wheel and it was very high up! There was a little step above the back wheel to help you get on. It was much faster but was very dangerous. If you went over a bump in the road or had to stop quickly, you would be thrown over the handlebars, so there were lots of accidents. (G. Donald Adams, 1997).