Re-inventing the Two Wheeler

May is National Bicycle Month, and we thought we’d kick off our celebration of free-wheelin’ with a look at the history of the bicycle and its evolution over time.

(Click on each image below for larger views)

Image provided by http://gallery.nen.gov.uk/

Though the earliest evidence of a bicycle-like transport  dates back to the 16th century with an illustration of an angel riding a two-wheeled riding device (Leonardo Da Vinci sketched a design of a two-wheeled machine which never left his drawing board in the 14th century), most of what we know about the bicycle’s history begins in the 19th century. According to the Pedaling History Bicycle Museum in New York, Germany’s Baron von Drais invented the two-wheeled “walking machine” in 1817. “The device was propelled by pushing your feet against the ground, thus rolling yourself and the device forward in a sort of gliding walk,” the museum’s website explains. Made almost entirely of wood (wheels included), the short-lived but trendy walking machine was also known as the Draisienne, velocipede, dandy horse, or hobby horse.

Image provided by Wikivisual.com

From the 1820′s and 1850′s, the answer to a somewhat unstable two-wheel ride was simple: add more wheels. Three and four-wheeled riding machines appeared on the scene, with pedals, cranks, and/or treadles, and while their designs presented new dangers with heavy weights leading to high rolling distances, popularity grew, and the tricycles and quadracycles could be found worldwide.

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In the early 1860′s, the next evolution in two-wheeled transportation appeared on the scene in France, the popular Micheaux, and with a nickname like the “bone-shaker,” it’s understood that there was still plenty of room for improvement in design. Still made mostly of wood, the velocipede had taken the walking machine to new heights with the addition of pedals attached to the front wheel. Though we rarely think of riding our bikes indoors, in the late 1800′s rinks similar to rollerskating rinks were built as an answer to the uncomfortable outdoor cobblestone ride. It was apparent at this point that people had found cycling recreational, but the discomfort of riding on wooden and/or metal wheels sent most people looking for smoother surfaces to glide on.

Image provided by http://library.christchurch.org.nz

With the 1870′s came something altogether different for the two-wheel ride when the original big-wheel, the Penny Farthing, rolled into popularity. The Penny Farthing “high-wheel” bicycle – made up of one extra large wheel in the front and a much smaller in the back – is often credited as being the first bicycle to feature rubber tires and efficient speed ability. Unfortunately, the height and speed of these bikes also made them dangerous and even deadly rides, and many chose to save the risk and stick to tricycles & quadracycles.

Image provided by http://www.spongywonder.com

With advances in metallurgy and the serious need for a safer mode of wheeled transportation, the bicycle again evolved in the 1880′s with the important invention of the “safety bicycle.” The wheels of the safety bicycle returned to the equal sizing like that of the walking machine and bone shaker, with the addition of a chain drive like we see in modern bicycles improved speed and comfort for riders and the pedals moved back from the front wheel to rest more below the seat. From there forward, we saw great strides in two-wheel technology, as hard rubber wheels were replaced with the softer pneumatic tires among other advances, and the “golden age” was in full swing. Working men rode their safety bikes to work, and eventually, the bicycle even received some credit for advancing women’s  rights in America (Susan B. Anthony referred to the bicycle as a “freedom machine” as it became the first two-wheeler suitable for women to drive).

Today, the bicycle occupies more than just transportation and leisure. It’s energy efficient and relatively cheap to get around on a bicycle, and with major world-wide environmental issues and concerns in the US over rising obesity rates, riding instead of driving continues to gain popularity among the earth and health-conscious. While it seems that the growing bicycle market these days has an answer for every kind of terrain and purpose, the innovation doesn’t stop as designers continue to find new and creative uses for cycling, beyond transportation and fun.

Though the Aquaduct is a tricycle, its dual purpose as a method of transportation and a water purifier for people in developing countries makes this three-wheeler a potential life-saver worth mentioning.

The Aquaduct – featured in Green Design by Marcus Fairs

Designer: IDEO

“Part mode of transportation and part water-purification device, Aquaduct is a concept product that was developed for Innovate or Die, a design competition for pedal-powered machines organized by American bicycle brand Specialized and Google.

Since many people in the developing world have to travel a long way to fetch water, and as that water is often unsafe to drink, industrial design studio IDEO came up with the idea of putting a mechanically driven water-purification system onto a bicycle, so that dirty water could be rendered safe as it was being carried back to the rider’s village.”

Beyond the advances in safety from the constant redesign of the bicycle frame and parts, adequate riding gear is still an important measure in ensuring a safer ride. Check out this crustacean featured in Alan Marshall’s Wild Design: Ecofriendly Innovations Inspired by Nature.

The Crustacean Helmet

Designers: Young Kyun Ahn, Ross Connololy, & Maja Doslo

“Inspiration for this bicycle helmet comes from the many marine crustacea native to the ocean abutting Western Australia. One of the main functions of the crustacean exoskeleton is to protect the delicate interior organs. Crustacean exoskeletons are generally flexible (employing a jointed system), and during the spawning period the female is able to curl her abdomen in on itself to protect her eggs. The Crustacean Helmet, in addition to protecting the delicate brain, curls up on itself to provide protection from theft, becoming a padlock.”

With the 20th century innovation of another very important mode of transportation, the airplane, comes the opportunity for world travel like never before, and with air travel and expensive luggage costs, comes an important question: how will I get around when I get to where I’m going? Thanks to affordable bike rental programs, exploring unknown terrain is easier than ever before in many countries worldwide. Countries like France and Spain have created bike rental programs (Velib in France, Bicing in Spain) that make bike-borrowing as easy as swiping a card and entering a pin number, with hundreds of rental and return stations located throughout major cities like Paris and Barcelona.

Author and environmental activist Dorian Yates provides thorough insights into these programs in her award-winning travel guides, Green Earth Guide: Traveling Naturally in Spain, and Green Earth Guide: Traveling Naturally in France.

With more options than ever before to get around safely with a set of pedals at your feet, there’s almost no excuse not to get on a bike. Next Thursday, May 13 marks the National Bike to Work Day, but if the innovation and popularity of cycling in the 19th century could teach us anything about our world today, it would bed the questions – why stop there? Dust off that old Schwinn, click in your crustacean-inspired helmet, and remember how good it feels to take a ride on a “freedom machine.”

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