Vintage Images Of Bicycles

The Laufmaschine

The precursor to the beloved bicycle was invented by Baron Karl Von Drais (born 1785 - died 1851), in 1817. Baron Karl Von Drais was a German civil servant who worked for the Grand Duke of Baden, in Germany. The vehicle that he created was called the 'Laufmaschine' a German term for running horse, it was also called 'Velocipede' which was a French term, meanwhile, in Britain the common terms for the first two-wheeled vehicle was draisine, and dandy horse. It is thought that Drais's preoccupation with finding an alternative to horse transportation began after the eruption of Mount Tambora, which took place on 10 April 1815, in Indonesia. Mount Tambora was the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history, emitting a volcanic explosive index (VEI) of magnitude 7. This event resulted in the so-called 'Year without a summer' in 1816, a particular time when many horses had tragically died of starvation, due to a worldwide crop shortage, in 1816. The knock-on effect of Mount Tambora's volcanic eruption resulted in severe climate abnormalities which caused the dramatic decrease in average global temperatures. Karl Von Drais patented his invention in 1818, and the original model was built with two consecutive iron shod wheels, a larger wheel situated at the rear of the vehicle, and the smaller at the front. The Velocipede was engineered with a single awkward looking elongated steering handle, and it was designed with a heavy straight wooden framed body, with wheel bearings and brass bushings, a rear-wheel brake, and weighed approximately 22 kg (48 Ibs), the pedal drive was not invented at this time. The Laufmaschine was the first commercially successful human powered vehicle transport, which utilized the two-wheeler principle, and was powered by a rider propelling the vehicle along a road, by pushing from the ground with both feet in a running motion.

The Bicycle

Denis Johnson (born 1760- died 1833) was a British coach designer, who built an improved model of the Velocipede, which he patented in late 1818, and called it the Pedestrian Curricle. The improved model included a serpentine shape wooden frame, instead of the original straight shaped frame, an upgrade which allowed the use of larger wheels, without raising the seat on the vehicle. Kirk Patrick Macmillan (born 1812- died 1878) was a Scottish Blacksmith, who was allegedly credited with the invention of the first mechanically propelled two-wheel bicycle, in 1839, but some scholars dispute this claim because there was not enough supporting evidence provided, moreover, Macmillan did not receive the patent. Philipp Moritz Fischer (born 1812- died 1890) was a German inventor, who was attributed inventor of the pedal driven bicycle, in 1853, and his model was called the Tretkurbel Fahrrad. Ernest Michaux (born 1842- died 1882) and Pierre Lallement (born 1843 - died 1891), were French inventors who had also claimed to be the original inventor of the bicycle pedal and crank. But ultimately, it was Pierre Lallement, who was finally awarded the patent for the pedal driven bicycle on 20 November 1866, in the United States. The additional innovative components of a pedal, in conjunction with a chain and crank, proved to be the official transformation of the Velocipede to the bicycle. The term 'bicycle' was coined in France during the 1860s and 'penny-farthing' was also a term created in that era to describe a bicycle and tricycle (three-wheelers).

The era of the 3 wheelers (tricycles) and 4 wheelers (quadracycles) began in earnest in the 1850s, with two, three, and even four-seater bicycles, which were designed in all shapes and sizes. Initially, it was the upper class that began the craze to cycle. However, with the rapid development of the bicycle, people's safety concerns about the bicycle soon vanished. The bicycle revolution or 'Golden Age' began in the 1890s, at which time many women embraced their new-found freedom to trek around their communities, especially without the customary escort of a man. Meanwhile, the bicycle was soon appreciated by all classes, in terms of work, sporting events, and recreation. The bicycle proved that to be far more economical, convenient, and healthier for people to utilize than it was for them to walk or even saunter around town upon a horse.

Written by Star_gazer

Published 24 May 2021