The oldest evidence of this, today popular vehicle back to the ancient civilizations of Egypt, China and India.
In a section of the book “Codez Atlanticus” of Leonardo da Vinci and featured a drawing of a bicycle. Leonardo thought and chain transmission as those used today. These drawings were dispersed by the time and were collected haphazardly in the Ambrosiana Library in Milan.
Leonardo da Vinci sketch
about 1490
Crude two-wheeled vehicle propelled by the feet were common in the early years of the second half of the seventeenth century. In 1690, a Frenchman, Count Mede of Sivrac invented “celífero” (“the célérifère”), which consisted of a wooden frame to which wheels were added. The vehicle had no handlebars, the seat was a pillow on the frame and propelled and directed pushing the feet against the ground.
“Dandy Horse” 1817
In 1816, a German nobleman designed the first vehicle with two steering wheels. This machine, called draisine (named after its inventor), had a handlebar that pivoted on the frame, allowing rotation of the front wheel. Then inventors French, German and British introduced improvements. In England, these early models were known as outriggers, the dandy horse name for the vehicle was invented in 1818. The rocker was lighter than the draisine and had an adjustable seat and an elbow support. It was patented in the U.S. in 1819, but attracted little interest.
In 1839, a Scottish blacksmith, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, added driving levers and pedals to a machine of the type of draisine. These innovations allowed the rider to propel the machine with your feet touching the ground. The drive mechanism was short pedals attached to the wheel hub and back rods connected by long levers, which fit the box at the top of the machine. The connecting rods to the levers joined almost a third of its length from the pedals. The machine was driven by the push of the feet downward and forward
He used to make a return trip to Glasgow to 226 km, covering a stretch of 65 km at an average speed of 13 km / h.
First bike pedals
Macmillan, 1839.
Michaux Velocipede, 1866.
In 1846, an improved model of this machine, designed by a Scotsman, took the name of Dalzell, widely used in Britain.
In 1861, Ernest Michaux decided to give the pedals to the front wheel of an old draisine. Although the discovery was of great importance, encountered a serious problem that was insurmountable for some time, there was no way to keep the balance with the movement pedals. Ernest realized that the two-wheeled machine would be stable whenever a sufficient speed, the slow learning is effective.
Michaux is recognized as the direct precursor of the bicycle but must include names like Philip Galloux Moritx or pedal bikes they built for private use. There are references in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics found in describing a man mounted on an apparatus consisting of two wheels attached to a rack. The Michaux invented the “Michaulina” was first produced in series attracting the attention of the masses.
This model became very popular in France. The frame and wheels were made ??of wood. Were iron tires and pedals were placed in the front wheel hub or the driver, who was slightly higher than the rear wheel.
Cycles (1870)
In Britain this machine is known as the ‘vultures’, because of its vibrations while driving on rocky roads or cobblestone streets.
In 1869, Britain introduced solid rubber tires mounted on steel, and the vehicle was the first to be patented under the name modern bicycle.
In 1873, James Starley, an English inventor, produced the first machine with almost all the features of the famous bicycle wheel common or high. The front wheel of Starley’s machine was three times larger than the back.
On January 7, 1887, the American Thomas Stevens made ??the first bicycle trip around the world. He left San Francisco and returned to the same city after pedaling for more than three years.
On May 31, 1889 was officially competitive cycling, the brothers Olivier associated Michaux factory organized a race in the Parc de Saint Cloud in Paris in 1200 m of travel in the attendance of seven cyclists. From then began cycling fever. On the technical side was investigated in a rush to find new solutions. Speed ??became an obsession. The michaulinas were too slow and that in each complete revolution of the pedals traveled 3.14 meters. Logically, the manufacturers increased the diameter of the front wheels managed to construct wheel drive 3 m in diameter. This was detrimental to the safety, weight balance and getting some models weigh 40 kg. Manufacturers tended to standardize their machines. The huge front wheels were reduced to a diameter of 1.2 meters and 40 centimeters back.
The changes and improvements in the following years included ball bearing and tire. . These inventions, along with the use of welded steel tubing and spring seat, took the bike to the summit of its development. However, excessive vibration and instability of the high-wheel bicycle forced inventors to strive to reduce the height of the bike.
By 1880 appeared the well-known secure machine or low. The wheels were about the same size and pedals attached to a sprocket through gears and a chain of transmission, moving the rear wheel.
In 1885, John Kemp Starley creates “safety bicycle”, where the front wheel is smaller and with the use of bearings, is driven by a chain, was coupled brakes for added safety. Adding shortly after, 1888, the tires developed by John Boyd Dunlop, where the inner tube is filled with air, softening of the pounding from the roads.
Safety bicycle, 1885
The safety bicycle quickly spread throughout the industrialized world. In 1896, a bicycle could cost 3 months salary for an average worker, but by 1909 had fallen to less than a month of work. This bike has a great resemblance to the bike we all know today.
In France, the Michelin brothers created a detachable tire in Italy, Giovanni Battista Pirelli did the same. With the tire and a few spare cameras could go anywhere. The bikes weigh between 18 and 20 kilos.
In 1903 he played the first Tour de France 2428 route miles of developed by Henri Desgranges. The Tour, which has been improved over the years and has become in today’s sophisticated test machines that do not exceed their approval if they do not come out triumphant from the French round has been field experiences and has given rise to many prototypes.
The former mountain bike
Gary Fisher
The first Giro d’Italia (created by Costamagna, Cougnet and Morgagni) was held in May 1909 and, later, the First Tour of Spain in 1935, designed by Juan Pujol. The main test stages in South American route, the Tour of Colombia, was not held until 1951.
In the 1960 and 1970, air pollution by gases from cars increased interest in the bike, so he joined the world oil crisis for several years. In part because of these stimuli, the popularity of cycling has improved tremendously. In some cities were established bike lanes and bicycle routes themselves.
The emphasis on fitness in the 1970 and 1980 increased their popularity. There was widespread light racing bike ten speed with hand brakes and high-pressure narrow tires.
Early in the decade of the 70′s started the fashion of using the bike on dirt roads. Arose then, several groups of cyclists who practiced this new modality including the so-called “The Canyon Gang” represented porJohn York, Tom Slifka, Robert and Kim Kraft, who devoted themselves to pursue careers in the mountains “Tamalpais” in California, but the bikes were used cross bike (thin rim) that was commonly found in Europe at that time. It was then that Joe Breeze, Charlie Kelly, Gary Fisher and Tom Ritchey place you came up with wide tires to their old Schwinn bicycle brand Excelsiors weighing about 18 kg and thus received more control and were the fastest of the mountain
In 1976 the same Breeze, Kelly Fisher and Ritchey organized between a race of 3 miles in “Cascade Fire” near the region called “Fairfax” in California. Come the year 1977, the adolescent still “Breeze” rode ten pictures of chromoly using the same principles of the geometry of their bikes Schwinn Excelsior and used one of these bikes in a race and won. This new type of bicycle frames inspired Fisher to get an equal and Ritchey asked to build him one for him. Hence, these new bikes were called Mountain Bike or Mountain Bike.
In 1974 Russ Mahon, Mahon Bernie Carter Cox and biking were the first to participate in a race with a rear derailleur (derailleurs) that was invented in 1958 by French Campagnolo for road bikes. This attracted much attention to the rest of the runners and by 1975 all race participants already had one. This bike with new components weighing just over 20 kg
In 1987 the first commercially introduced by the company front suspension Trek and the war of technology and marketing in 1990 Trek also introduced the first dual suspension bike with a weight similar to that of 1974, about 20 kg.
The fastest rider is considered John Howard, U.S., who reached in 1985, 245.08 mph on a bike designed especially.
Today in the world some 800 million bicycles amount doubles the number of cars.