There is a version that the first bicycle was invented by Leonardo da Vinci. However, it is controversial. Also, the version that this is not completely confirmed vehicle was invented by the peasant Artamonov.
It is believed that the bicycle was not invented immediately. Its improvement went through several stages.
In 1817, German professor Karl von Dres created a design reminiscent of a scooter. This device consisted of two wheels and was called by its author a “walking machine.” Somewhat later, Drez named this scooter with a trolley. In 1818, Baron von Drèze patented his creation.
When the scooter was discovered in the UK, this design was nicknamed the “dandy horse”. In 1839-1840 In a small town in southern Scotland, Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a blacksmith by trade, improved this walking machine by adding a saddle and pedals. This device was much like a modern bicycle. It was necessary to push the pedals so that they would rotate the rear wheel, while the front wheel could be turned using the steering wheel.
For unknown reasons, the invention of the blacksmith MacMillan remained in the shadows and was soon forgotten.
In 1862, the French master Pierre Lallement decided to add pedals to the “dandy horse” (while Pierre was unaware of Kirkpatrick MacMillan’s invention). And in 1863 Lalman realized his idea. His product is considered by many to be the world's first bicycle, and Pierre himself, accordingly, the first inventor of this type of transport.
When and where was the first bicycle invented?
The year of the invention of the first bicycle can be considered 1817, when the “walking machine” was created, and 1840, and 1862. However, there is another important date that is associated with the invention of the bicycle, namely 1866, when Lalman’s bicycle was patented.
Since then, this vehicle has been improved every year. The materials from which the bicycle is made, its design, as well as the ratios and diameters of the wheel sizes also changed. However, the modern bicycle differs slightly from Lalman's design.
So, if we assume that the very first bicycle was invented by Pierre Lallement, then the birthplace of this vehicle will be France. However, the Germans believe that the bicycle was invented in Germany. This is partly true as well. If the invention of Baron Karl von Dres had not existed, it would not have occurred to Lalman to improve it.
But don't forget about Scotland. The prototype of the bicycle, which was designed by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, differed slightly from Lalman's invention.
Medieval image of a cherub from the “Vision of the Prophet Ezekiel.” 1156
Scooter allegedly from 1791, attributed to the Comte de Sivrac - falsification of 1891
Information about bicycles and scooters before 1817 is doubtful. So, a drawing of a two-wheeled bicycle with a steering wheel and chain drive, attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, or his student Giacomo Caprotti, is believed by many to be a fake.
The stained glass window in the Church of St. Egidio in the English village of Stoke Poges depicts a human figure on something like a scooter, which N. Pevzner calls “a C17 representation of a hobby horse.”
A scooter allegedly from 1791, attributed to the Comte de Sivrac, is an 1891 hoax invented by the French journalist Louis Baudry. In reality, there was no Comte de Sivrak; his prototype was Jean Henry Sivrak, who in 1817 received permission to import four-wheeled carriages.
The story of the serf Artamonov, who allegedly designed a bicycle around 1800, is also likely a legend.
According to this legend, the inventor made a successful run on his bicycle from the Ural village of Verkhoturye to Moscow (about two thousand miles). This was the world's first bicycle race. The serf Artamonov was sent on this journey by his owner, the owner of the factory, who wanted to surprise Tsar Alexander I with an “outlandish scooter.”
For the invention of the bicycle, Artamonov and all his offspring were granted freedom from serfdom. It is kept in the Nizhny Tagil Museum of Local Lore.
As shown by chemical analysis of iron, the bicycle from the Nizhny Tagil museum was made no earlier than 1870. As for Artamonov, he was first mentioned in the book by V.D. Belov “Historical sketch of the Ural mining factories” (edition 1898, St. Petersburg): “During the coronation of Emperor Paul, therefore in 1801, the artisan of the Ural mining factories Artamonov he ran on a bicycle he invented, for which, by order of the emperor, he received freedom with all his offspring.”
In fact, Paul I was crowned in 1797, and Alexander I in 1801. Belov does not provide any references to documents confirming his amazing discovery.
They were not found subsequently. No mention of Artamonov could be found neither in the Chamber-Fourier ceremonial journals of 1796, 1797 and 1801, nor in the “agenda on the occasion of the death of His Imperial Majesty Emperor Pavel Petrovich”, nor in the description of the coronation of His Imperial Majesty Alexander Pavlovich, nor in “ A list of all the favors poured out by the late sovereign Paul I on the day of his coronation on April 5, 1797,” neither in the archives of the office of N. N. Novosiltsev, created in 1801 and dealing with the consideration of technical inventions, nor in the selection of materials about serf inventors published in “Domestic Notes” by P. P. Svinin (1818-1830).
No other documents were found that would confirm Belov’s story. The iron “Artomonov bicycle”, demonstrated in one of the Ural museums, turned out to be homemade at the end of the 19th century, made according to English models.
The prototype of the legend may have been the serf inventor E. G. Kuznetsov-Zhepinsky, who actually received his freedom (together with his nephew Artamon) in 1801 for his inventions. However, Kuznetsov did not design a bicycle, but a droshky with a verstometer and a musical organ.
Evolution of the bicycle
Although we perceive the bicycle as a simple and ingenious whole (as evidenced by the saying “reinventing the wheel”), in reality it was invented in at least three stages.
In 1817, the German professor Baron Karl von Dres of Karlsruhe created the first two-wheeled scooter, which he called a “walking machine.” It was equipped with a steering wheel and generally looked like a bicycle without pedals; the frame was wooden. Drez's invention was named trolley in his honor, and the word "drezina" remains in the Russian language to this day. Possible reason The invention was that the previous year, 1816, was the “Year Without Summer.”
Then the Northern Hemisphere suffered the most severe climate anomaly in history, which had a catastrophic effect on the harvest, caused famine and reduced the number of horses. In 1818, in Baden-Baden, von Dres received a “Großherzogliches Privileg” (then equivalent of a patent) for his invention. Drez's car soon gained popularity in the UK, where it became known as the "dandy horse".
In 1839–1840, blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan in a small village in southern Scotland improved Drez's invention by adding pedals and a saddle. It turns out that MacMillan created a bicycle similar to the modern one. The pedals were pushing rear wheel, to which they were connected by metal rods using connecting rods. The front wheel was turned by the steering wheel, the cyclist sat between the front and rear wheels. MacMillan's bicycle was ahead of its time and remained little known.
In 1845, the Englishman R.W. Thompson patented an inflatable tire, but it turned out to be technologically imperfect.
In 1862, Pierre Lallement, a 19-year-old stroller maker from Nancy (France), saw a “dandy horse” and came up with the idea of equipping it with pedals on the front wheel. Lalman knew nothing about MacMillan's bicycle, and on his machine the pedals had to be turned, not pushed. In 1863 Lallement moved to Paris, where he built the first bicycle, reminiscent of the ones we love.
In 1864, Lyon industrialists, the Olivier brothers, appreciated the potential of Lallement's machine and, in collaboration with carriage engineer Pierre Michaud, began mass production of "dandy horses" with pedals. Michaud thought of making the frame metal. According to some reports, Michaud came up with the name “bicycle” for the device. Having worked for Michaud-Olivier short time, Lalman went to America, where in November 1866 he patented his invention. Obviously, Pierre Lallement should be considered the actual inventor.
19th century style penny farthing bicycle
Since the 70s of the 19th century, the penny-farthing scheme began to gain popularity. The name describes the proportionality of the wheels, for the penny was much larger than the farthing. There were pedals on the penny hub of the front wheel, and the rider's saddle was almost directly on top of them. High seat height and center of gravity shifted to front wheel, made such a bicycle very dangerous. An alternative to them were three-wheeled scooters.
Lalman's bicycle, 1865
In 1867, the inventor Cowper proposed a successful design for a metal wheel with spokes. In 1878, the English inventor Lawson introduced a chain drive into the design of a bicycle.
The first bicycle, similar to those used today, was called Rover - “Wanderer”. It was made in 1884 by the English inventor John Kemp Starley and was produced from 1885. Unlike the penny-farthing, the Rover had a chain drive to the rear wheel, equal-sized wheels, and the driver sat between the wheels.
Models of this design were called safe (Safety), and the word Rover in many languages still means a bicycle (Polish Rower, Belarusian Rovar, Ukrainian Rover [Rov'er]). The Rover company became a huge automobile concern and existed until April 15, 2005, when it was liquidated due to bankruptcy.
In 1888, Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop invented inflatable rubber tires. They were technically more advanced than those patented in 1845, and became widespread. After this, bicycles got rid of the nickname “bone shakers”. This invention made riding much more comfortable, which contributed to their popularization. The 1890s were called the golden age of bicycles.
Although the bicycles of the 1890s were similar to modern ones in many respects, they were usually made of rusting steel (stainless steel could not yet be welded) and required labor-intensive maintenance (cleaning, lubricating, rinsing with gasoline or kerosene) after each ride. The description of “routine bicycle cleaning” in the 1895 book takes up 4 pages.
In 1898, pedal brakes and a freewheel mechanism were invented, which made it possible not to rotate the pedals when the bicycle was rolling on its own. In those same years, hand brakes were also invented, but they did not immediately find widespread use.
The first folding bicycle was made in 1878, the first aluminum bicycles were made in the 1890s, and the first ligrad (sometimes called a ricambent, a bicycle that could be ridden in supine position) - in 1895 (and in 1914, mass production of ligrades by Peugeot began).
The first gear shifting mechanisms date back to the beginning of the 20th century. However, they were imperfect. One of the first gear shifting methods used on sports models was to equip the rear wheel with two sprockets, one on each side. To change gears, you had to stop, remove the rear wheel and turn it over, re-locking and tensioning the chain.
The planetary gear shift mechanism was invented in 1903 and became popular in the 1930s. The derailleur, as it is used on most bicycles today, was invented only in 1950 by the famous Italian cyclist and bicycle manufacturer Tullio Campagnolo.
Bicycles continued to improve in the second half of the 20th century. In 1974, mass production of bicycles made of titanium began, and in 1975 - of carbon fiber. In 1983, the cycling computer was invented. In the early 1990s, index shift systems became widespread.
During the 20th century, interest in bicycles experienced peaks and valleys. Beginning around 1905, bicycles began to fall out of fashion in many countries, particularly the United States, due to the development of automobile transport. Traffic police often treated cyclists as an obstacle to the movement of cars. By 1940, bicycles in North America were considered toys for children. Since the late 1960s, they have come back into fashion in developed countries, thanks to propaganda healthy image life and general awareness of the importance of environmental problems.
In the USSR at the end of the 20th century, the most common bicycle models were (sorted by increasing size): Druzhok, Butterfly, Lyovushka, “Champion”, Veterok, Olympic, Shkolnik, Orlyonok, Cross, Kama, Desna, Salyut, Uralets, Ukraine, “Minsk” ", Stork, Ural, Tourist, Sputnik, Start-highway. There were two models with detachable wheels - “The Little Humpbacked Horse” and “Bear” (for children). There was also a “Sura” bicycle (about the size of a “Ural” or a little larger)…
Social role
The production of bicycles played a major role in creating the technical basis for other types of transport, especially cars and airplanes. Many metalworking technologies developed for the production of both bicycle frames and other parts (washers, bearings, gears) were subsequently used in the production of cars and aircraft. Many automobile companies created at the beginning of the 20th century (for example, Rover, Skoda, Morris Motor Company, Opel) began as bicycle companies. The Wright Brothers also started out as bicycle manufacturers.
Cycling societies have sought to improve the quality of roads. An example of such an organization is the League of American Wheelmen, which led and financed the Good Roads Movement in the United States at the end of the 19th century. Improvements in the quality of roads also accelerated the development of automobiles.
Bicycles played a role in the emancipation of women. In particular, thanks to them, women's bloomers came into fashion in the 1890s, which helped free women from corsets and other constricting clothing. Bicycles also gave women unprecedented mobility.
For example, the famous American suffragist Susan Anthony (1826-1906) stated on February 2, 1896 in an interview with the New York World newspaper:
"I think it has done more for the emancipation of women than everything else put together. It gives women a sense of freedom and independence. My heart fills with joy every time I see a woman on a bicycle... it is the sight of a free, unoppressed woman."
Bicycles allowed rural residents to travel more often to neighboring villages and cities, which increased the number of marriages between residents of different localities. This improved the genetic health of the population through heterosis. They reduced overcrowding in cities by allowing workers and employees to live in suburbs, relatively far from their places of work.
Postal services in many countries have used bicycles since the late 19th century. Thus, the British Royal Mail has been using them since the 1880s. The total number of cyclist postmen is 37,000 in the UK, 27,500 in Germany, 10,500 in Hungary.
Police in many countries use bicycles to patrol the streets, especially in rural areas.
Bicycle patrols, like bicycle mail, appeared at the end of the 19th century. For example, the police of the English county of Kent purchased 20 models in 1896, and by 1904 the number of police bicycle patrols was already 129. The advantages of bicycle patrols are freedom from traffic jams, the ability to patrol in pedestrian areas, and the ability to covertly approach a suspect.
In the UK, bicycles are traditionally used to deliver newspapers. This allows you to hire teenagers who do not yet have a driver's license. In poor countries they are sometimes used to deliver lunches.
Even the automobile industry uses bicycles. At the Mercedes-Benz plant in Sindelfingen, Germany, workers move around the plant using them. Each department has its own color of bicycles.
Bicycles were used in the war. During the Second Boer War (1899–1902), both sides (Britain and the South African Republics) used bicycles for reconnaissance and message delivery. Special units patrolled railways on bicycle tires. In the First World War, both sides actively used them for reconnaissance, for delivering messages, and for transporting victims. Japan successfully used bicycles to invade China in 1937 and to invade Singapore via Malaysia in 1941.
Bicycles made it possible to secretly and suddenly transport thousands of soldiers, catching the enemy by surprise. In addition, they did not require either trucks for their transportation or scarce fuel. The Allies used paratroopers equipped with collapsible models in their operations. Bicycles were used by guerrillas to transport goods during the Vietnam War. In Sweden, bicycle troops existed until 2001, and in Switzerland until 2003. According to some reports, bicycles were used by American special forces units during the Afghan campaign.
In the circus, bears and monkeys ride two-wheeled bicycles, and elephants ride three-wheeled bicycles. Acrobatic stunts using them are also extremely popular and varied.
Bicycle racing
Bicycle racing began immediately after the invention of bicycles. The first races were held on penny farthings and other dangerous bicycles, which often resulted in injury. Multi-day bicycle races have become popular since the 1890s. These include the oldest cycling race still held today, the 1,200-kilometer Paris-Brest-Paris race, first held in 1891. This cycling race does not consist of stages: the stopwatch starts at the start and turns off when the athlete reaches the finish line. The cyclist himself decides how much time he spends sleeping. The Tour de France, a multi-day cycling race, held since 1903, belongs to the category of grand tours - the most popular and most prestigious of all existing cycling races.
In addition to multi-day cycling races, there are also cycling races on short distances. Cycling races up to 5 km are popular in the USA. In the last decade, mountain bike racing - cross-country - has gained popularity. Close to them is cyclocross - racing on bicycles, very similar to road bicycles, over rough terrain. For racing at velodromes, special track models are used, without changing gears.
Races are also divided into individual and team. There are a large number of types and disciplines of bicycle racing.
Bicycles nowadays
Currently, bicycles are most popular in Northern and Western Europe. The most cycling country in Europe is Denmark; the average resident of this country cycles 893 kilometers per year.
Next comes the Netherlands (853 km). In Belgium and Germany, the average resident drives about 300 kilometers per year. The least popular bicycle is in the countries of Southern Europe - the average Spaniard travels only 20 kilometers per year.
The current popularity of cycling in Europe is the result of government policies, since popularization helps to relieve city centers from cars and also improves people's health.
To popularize the bicycle and cycling tourism the following measures are being taken:
- installation of paths and other infrastructure;
- measures to facilitate use in combination with public transport(parking lots, as a rule, covered, and often guarded, at train stations and bus stations, equipping passenger trains with special carriages for passengers with bicycles, etc.).
In many European cities you can rent a bicycle at the station.
In Copenhagen you can rent it for free, and for any period of time. Such models are prohibited from being used outside of Copenhagen under threat of fine. The unusual design and coloring do not allow them to be passed off as your own. There is a similar program in Helsinki and the Basque capital Vitoria (since 2004). You can rent a bicycle for free in the Hoge Veluwe park in the Netherlands and in other places.
In Amsterdam, which calls itself the cycling capital of Europe, bicycles can be rented not only at the train station, but also at rental points, in most specialty stores, and in many hotels.
There is even a special hotel for cyclists, Van Ostade Bicycle Hotel. You can rent water models, tandem bikes and even for 8 people. In this city, bicycles are a common means of transportation, much more common than cars. This is partly due to the lack and high cost of parking in Amsterdam and other large cities.
Bicycles born in the USSR
The first Soviet bicycles were produced in 1924 by the Kharkov Bicycle Plant in the amount of 2,200 pieces; in 1969, the production of bicycles in the USSR amounted to over 4 million units.
The Baltik Vairas plant, well known since Soviet times for its high-quality models for teenagers “Orlyonok”, was founded in 1948. It was then called “Šiauliai bicycle-motor Vairas plant. During the first 30 years of its existence, Vairas produced more than 7.5 million bikes and about 3 million engines for mopeds.
Later, the plant acquired a new name - Baltik Vairas. And after the collapse of the USSR in 1992−1994, the owners of the German concern Panther bought a controlling stake, and then most of the shares of the enterprise. So the plant found new owners, who, with typical German pedantry and scrupulousness, began the reconstruction of the enterprise.
The plant sells “Baltik Vairas” bicycles in Scandinavia, Italy, Poland, Estonia, Latvia,
Depending on the purpose and design features bicycles are divided for road, light road, teenage, sports, children's and special.
- Road ones have a durable frame, wide tires, a high-mounted steering wheel, and weigh about 16 kg;
- Light-road vehicles are distinguished by their lighter weight (14 kg), reduced tire cross-section, and are usually equipped with hand brakes.
- Sports cars are characterized by a lightweight design (8-11 kg) made of alloy steel and duralumin, a low-set steering wheel, the presence of a speed switch and hand brakes (for road cars) or without brakes and free wheeling (for track cars). Variety sports bikes:
- tandem - two-seater two-wheeled with double interlocked transmission. This design allows the tandem crew to reach speeds of up to 70 km/h.
- The special group includes circus, cargo, three-wheeled (for older people), bicycle strollers, etc.
Trailers, mainly for road models, for transporting goods, as well as bicycles with outboard motors, have become widespread.
The USSR ranked in bicycle production fourth place in the world.
The country's domestic market was satisfied by road men's models on 28-inch wheels with brakes. rear hub. In addition to these most popular cars, light-duty, women's, teenage, children's and sports cars are produced.
"Schoolboy"
"Gum"
"Gum"
"Relay"
"Kama"
"Minsk"
"Firework"
"Sport"
"Tourist"
"Ukraine"
I really love riding a bike. It's so great to pick up speed and feel the wind whistling in your ears. Or the distance from home to the stadium, which usually takes half an hour, can be covered in a few minutes. And I was always interested in the question: “What is the history of the creation of the bicycle?” Now I will tell you about it.
It seems there is no simpler invention in the world. It’s not for nothing that the expression “ no need to reinvent the wheel", that is, to invent something known to everyone. But people managed without them for a long time. It is believed that in 1801 a Ural blacksmith Efim Artamonov built the world's first bicycle with wheels, pedals and handlebars. From the Urals he came to Moscow and there his bicycle ended up in the Tsar’s Museum of Curiosities and was forgotten. But there is still debate whether this event actually happened or is a historical tale.
In 1815 the German Baron Karl von Drez invented a device that he called a “running machine.” But this name did not catch on and they began to call it “trolley”, in honor of the baron. The trolley looked like two wheel scooter with a steering wheel and without pedals, with a wooden frame and could reach quite good speed for that time.
This invention was amazing! Imagine, in a time when the main transport was a horse-drawn cart, suddenly it becomes possible to move quickly yourself. True, this thing was set in motion with the help of legs walking on the ground, which is why the riders' boots quickly wore out.
But when in the 60s of the 19th century master Pierre Lallement, who makes baby strollers, screwed pedals to the front wheel, industrialists became interested in his invention. They began producing a large number of bicycles, and even with a metal frame, which replaced the wooden one. It was from this moment that the history of the bicycle began.
Then bicycle designers decided to increase the front saddle to two meters. The rear one was 30 centimeters. Such bicycles were called “spiders”. Large quantity Injuries to buyers forced the creators of this miracle to add a third rear wheel, otherwise it would be too dangerous to ride such a bicycle and fall too high. To attract buyers, competitions were organized on the “spiders”. Newspapers of those years wrote: “It takes the strength of an elephant and the agility of a monkey to ride these bikes.”
But bicycles really became popular when the Englishman Thomson invented the tire s, and the veterinarian Dunlop found something to make them from. He cut a piece of watering hose and pulled it over the rim. But they did not pump air into the tire, but used water, which made the bicycle very heavy.
Imagine that all this time the bikes had no brakes. They were invented only at the end of the 19th century. It would be interesting to see how the cyclists stopped?
And at the beginning of the last century there appeared first gear shift mechanism. But to use it, you had to stop, remove the chain, unscrew the rear wheel, turn it over again and put the chain on!
Bicycle production served impetus for the creation of cars and airplanes. After all, many technologies developed for the production of its parts began to be used in the production of these complex mechanisms. And a number of today's well-known automobile companies began as bicycle companies.
Bicycles became less popular when cars appeared. They were considered one of the main obstacles on the road. But today bicycles have again become a favorite mode of transport. Firstly, it is good for health, it does not pollute the environment, and in city traffic jams it will give anyone a head start.
This is interesting:
First trip around the world cycling 125 years ago was very difficult. It lasted three years, because the bicycle at that time had a huge front wheel and no tires.
The world speed record on a bicycle is 268 kilometers per hour. But don’t be surprised by such a high result: the track was especially prepared, and there was even a car driving in front of the cyclist, cutting through the air flow.
“No need to reinvent the wheel!” - You've probably heard this phrase more than once and even said it yourself. When they say this, they usually want to emphasize the simplicity of the matter, when any deviations only complicate, but do not in any way speed up the process. But, paradoxically, we know very little about the invention of the bicycle. For example, do you know what year the bicycle was invented? Most likely not. Who invented the first bicycle? Don't you know either? Then our article is for you!
As the famous saying goes, it is never too late to learn. And it’s not a shame not to know something, it’s a shame not to want to learn something new. Therefore, we will talk about a very simple and very complex device at the same time - a bicycle.
Who first invented the bicycle?
We hasten to immediately debunk one common myth. The bicycle was not invented by Leonardo da Vinci. The famous drawing, which supposedly belongs to the brush of Leonardo, actually is not.
Also, there was no confirmation of the legend that the bicycle was invented by the peasant Artamonov, and that it is still kept in one of the museums of Nizhny Tagil.
In fact, the bicycle, in the modern sense of the word, was not invented immediately. Its improvement has gone through at least 3 stages.
In 1817, the German professor Baron Karl von Dres invented something like a scooter. It consisted of 2 wheels and was called by the author a “Walking Machine”. And later, compatriots nicknamed this scooter a trolley (in honor of the inventor Drez). In 1818, Baron Karl von Dres patented his invention. When they found out about the scooter in the UK, it was nicknamed “dandy horse”. In 1839-1840, in a small town in southern Scotland, blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan improved a walking machine by adding pedals and a saddle. MacMillan's bicycle was very similar to the modern bicycle. The pedals had to be pushed, they in turn rotated the rear wheel, and the front wheel could be turned using the steering wheel. For reasons unknown to us, Kirkpatrick MacMillan's invention remained little known and was soon forgotten.
In 1862, Pierre Lallement decided to add pedals to the Dandy Horse (Pierre knew nothing about MacMillan's invention). And in 1863 he realized his idea. His product is considered by many to be the world's first bicycle, and Lalman, accordingly, is considered the creator of the first bicycle.
Question "Who invented the first bicycle?" invariably gives rise to another, no less interesting “When was it invented?” The year of the invention of the bicycle can be considered both 1817, the year the “walking machine” was invented, and 1840, and 1862. But there is another date associated with the invention of the bicycle - 1866, when Lalman's bicycle was patented.
Since then, the bicycle has been improved every year. The materials from which the bicycle is made, the design itself, as well as the diameters and aspect ratios of the wheels changed. However, the essentially modern bicycle is not much different from Lalman's bicycle.
Where was the bicycle invented?
If we assume that Pierre Lallement invented the first bicycle, then France is considered the birthplace of the bicycle. However, the Germans are accustomed to believing that the bicycle was invented in their homeland. This is also partly true, because if it were not for the invention of Baron Karl von Dres, it would not have occurred to Lalman 
improve it.
But we shouldn’t forget about Scotland. The prototype of the bicycle, designed by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, was essentially not much different from the invention of Pierre Lallement.
This expression has firmly entered our vocabulary. When they pronounce it, they mean useless efforts to create something that has long been known to everyone. Expressions of this kind are used in many countries. But, interestingly, the mention of a bicycle is typical only for post-Soviet countries. And where do we get such a love for bicycles?
Since childhood, each of us has dealt with a bicycle in one way or another. Some raced around the yard with all their might, some only dreamed of an iron friend, some asked friends for a ride. In any case, the bicycle has already become an integral part of our lives, something taken for granted. It’s even hard to imagine that once there were no two-wheeled vehicles at all, and someone had to reinvent the wheel. In this article, we will dive into the history of the bicycle and find out who to thank for such a useful invention.
Why reinvent the wheel?
The basis of each invention is the idea of an individual person or group of persons, and the basis of the idea is the objective reason for the need for a new invention. According to many researchers, one of the main objective reasons for the invention of the bicycle was the hungry and cold year of 1816, which included world history called "The Year Without Summer".In April 1815, on the Indonesian island of Sumbawa (which is not far from the modern popular resort island of Bali), a powerful eruption of the Tambora volcano occurred, which killed more than 71 thousand inhabitants inhabiting numerous islands in the region. But the troubles didn't end there. A huge amount of volcanic ash entered the atmosphere and spread through it for several months, which ultimately triggered the effect of a volcanic winter in the northern hemisphere in 1816.
Constant floods, months of abnormal cold, incessant cold showers and even snow in the middle of summer - all this almost completely destroyed the harvest. The consequences of the eruption were felt for several years. Western Europe and North America. As a result, a massive loss of livestock began, suffering from malnutrition. The number of horses has also dropped sharply, which has forced an urgent search for an alternative to this method of transportation.
Making a bike
At the very beginning of 1818, Baron Karl Friedrich Christian Ludwig Dreis von Sauerbronn from the German city of Karlsruhe patented the first two-wheeled self-propelled vehicle created a year earlier, which served as the prototype of the modern bicycle. The inventor named his brainchild “Laufmaschine”, which translated meant “running machine”. This invention was very reminiscent of a modern bicycle, only without pedals and with a wooden frame. The running car instantly became popular throughout Europe - many English and French carriage manufacturing companies began producing a new fashionable vehicle. But since the German word “Laufmaschine” was very hard on the ears of the English and French, running machines began to be produced under the name “Trolley” (if the name of the inventor Karl Drais is read in the French manner and the suffix -ine is added to it, meaning belonging, then it will turn out to be Draisine, that is, in Russian speaking, a trolley).
The interest in handcars was so great, and the profits from their sales were such that already at the end of 1818, British merchant Denis Johnson announced the release of a new, improved model. There was a slight hitch - a new word was needed to denote the improved railcar in order to distinguish the old model from the significantly revised new one (otherwise it would be like inventing an airship and continuing to call it the old word “aerostat”).
However, this awkward pause did not last long - the French inventor Joseph Nicéphore Niepce, better known as the discoverer of photography, proposed the word vélocipède “bicycle” almost immediately after the appearance of a new model of handcar.
The French word "bicycle" is formed by adding two Latin words velox "fast" and pedis "legs" (i.e. literally "swift-footed" or "swift-footed"). Turning to Latin was not accidental - firstly, Latin has always been the language of learned men, and secondly, the French, more than other European peoples, loved to dabble in Latin words. However, the origin of the word "bicycle" is disputed by another Frenchman.
According to the second widespread version, Denis Johnson’s improved model was called dandy-horse (i.e. “English dandy horse”). But the word “bicycle” appeared a little later.
How everyone started pedaling
When in 1863, nineteen-year-old Pierre Lallement, who had previously made his living making baby carriages, built the first “dandy horse” with spinning pedals in his Paris workshop, a truly revolutionary breakthrough occurred in the history of the bicycle. The following year, industrialists, the Olivier brothers from Lyon, highly appreciating Pierre Lallement's invention, took it over and began mass production of “dandy horses” with pedals in collaboration with carriage maker Pierre Michaud.
Pierre Michaud was the first to think of replacing wooden frame bicycle to a metal one, and also (according to some sources) decided to change the name “dandy horse”, which is dissonant to the French ear, to the Latin “bicycle”.
It has not yet been established for certain who was the first to come up with the name “bicycle” - the Burgundian Joseph Nicéphore Niepce (1765-1833) or the Lorraineer Pierre Michaud (1813-1883). But written sources clearly record the first (still timid) attempts to penetrate the word “bicycle” into the Russian language precisely at this time - at the beginning of the second half of the 19th century.
Pierre Lallement, after working for a couple of years with the Olivier brothers, went to America and patented his invention there in November 1866. It is Pierre Lallement who is most often unfairly considered the inventor of the bicycle, since outwardly his bicycle is more similar to its modern descendant than the invention of Karl Dries, who is undeservedly relegated to the background.
Other vintage bicycles
In the history of the bicycle, there are models that did not gain much popularity and had virtually no impact on the evolution of the vehicle. First of all, this includes the one invented by the Scot Thomas McCall in 1830 two wheeler without pedals. The main difference between the model and the trolley is that the development’s front wheel is slightly larger than the rear.
The bicycle of another Scot, Kirkpatrick McMillan, did not become popular. In 1839-1840, a blacksmith from a small village improved McCall's invention by adding a saddle and. We can say that it was MacMillan who was the first to make a bicycle that has the maximum resemblance to a modern one. The pedals drove the rear wheel, which in turn was connected by connecting rods to metal rods. The front wheel could be turned using the steering wheel; the cyclist was positioned between the wheels. It’s very reminiscent of the bicycle we’re used to, isn’t it? It’s just that in those years the invention went unnoticed because it was far ahead of its time.
In the second half of the 19th century, bicycles with a huge front wheel and a disproportionately small rear wheel, known to all of us from old photographs and engravings, appeared. Such bicycles received a special name - “penny-farthing”, given to them after the names of the corresponding English coins - the penny and the farthing (the farthing, which cost one-quarter of a penny, was much smaller in size than the penny).
However, these monsters very quickly went out of fashion, since the seat was located very high altitude, and the center of gravity in the penny farthing was shifted towards the front wheel, which made such bicycles quite dangerous.
The Birth of Modern Nomads
In 1884, the Englishman John Kemp Starley created a new model of bicycle and called it, which translated from English means “wanderer”, “tramp”. This model became so popular that in some languages the word Rover began to be used to refer to a bicycle in general - as, for example, in the Polish language (rower), from where it later got into Western Belarusian (rovar) and Western Ukrainian (rover). And John Kemp Starley, inspired by the success of the new model, a couple of years later founded the Rover Company, which over time turned into a giant automobile concern and existed until 2005, when it suddenly went bankrupt.
The first rovers already had a chain drive to the rear wheel, the wheels themselves were the same size, and the cyclist sat between them. This design seemed like a real breakthrough after the dubious penny-farthing, and was called “safe”.
Further, the history of the bicycle consists only of improving the Starly Rovers. In 1888, the vehicle was equipped with inflatable rubber tires (invention of John Boyd Dunlop), which made riding as comfortable and popular as possible. Thus began the golden age of bicycles.
In 1898, the braking problem was solved. They came into use, but the manual ones that appeared did not immediately find widespread use. A freewheel mechanism was also invented, thanks to which the bicycle could roll on its own, without pedaling.
The first folding bicycle was made in 1878, followed by an aluminum one in the 1890s. By the beginning of the twentieth century, gear shifting mechanisms appeared. However, those systems were absolutely inconvenient and unpopular. The modern mechanism was invented in 1950 by the Italian cyclist Tullio Campagnolo.
At the end of the twentieth century, special racing and mountain bikes, known to us to this day.
