Who invented the bicycle and when? History of the bicycle Who invented the bicycle.

Many people argue about who invented the first bicycle. The answer to this question often depends on the nationality of the person being asked. The French claim that the first bike was designed by a Frenchman, the Scots think that the inventor was a Scot, the British believe that the pioneer was an Englishman, and Americans often attribute the credit for creating the bicycle to an American. Since the early 1990s, the International Conference on the History of Cycling in San Francisco began to trace cycling history from the emergence of women's struggle for their rights against chauvinism. In the current understanding of the history of cycling, it is believed that the creation of the first bicycle is the merit of many people who contributed to its appearance with their ideas and developments.

Giovanni Fontana's four-wheeled prototype

In 1418, Giovanni Fontana built the world's first vehicle powered by human muscle power. It was a four-wheeled cart with transmission to the rear wheels through a rope between wooden pulleys.

Dated to 1493 are sketches of a primitive bicycle, which was supposedly drawn by Leonardo da Vinci, as was believed until 1974. Further examination of the drawings revealed that they were not drawn by da Vinci. The suggestion that these sketches were completed by a student of Da Vinci's after the original drawing was lost is also considered false. An age test was performed, but the Vatican-owned library in Milan is hiding the apparently objectionable result, so experts consider the sketches invalid.

Models developed in the early 19th century

1791 Count Comte de Sicrac is credited with building the celerifera, supposedly a toy wooden horse with two wheels instead of two runners. This first bicycle is now considered a patriotic myth, created by a French historian in 1891. This myth was debunked by a French researcher in 1976. In fact, there was a case where Jean Sivrac of Marseille sold a four-wheeled speed trainer called a celerifer abroad in 1817.

1801 Mention of the bicycle in Russia. Allegedly, the serf blacksmith Efim Artamonov built an iron structure with a front wheel as tall as a man, and a rear wheel half as tall. There was also a steering wheel, a saddle, and pedals. On this big-wheeled bicycle, Artamonov completed an unreal marathon from his hometown of Verkhoturye, near Perm, to Moscow. Only one entry was made about this event in the “Dictionary of the Verkhoturye district of the Perm province” that the artisan of the Ural plant Artamonov ran on his invention during the coronation. The dictionary was published more than a hundred years after this event, in 1910. It is also said that Artamonov’s cart itself was taken into the royal collection of rare things and was soon lost.

This story has been questioned by many, even by Russian researchers in a documentary about the history of bicycles based on exhibits in the Velomoto Hall at the Moscow Polytechnic Museum.

1817 The world's first bicycle was called differently: a running machine, a handcar and a dandy horse. It was invented by German inventor Baron Karl Dröze in response to widespread famine and mass horse slaughter following a bad harvest year. Earlier, Mount Tambora erupted.

The very first bicycle had a handlebar holder above the front wheel. This is the first two-wheeled vehicle. From him came the development of the principle of constructing all vehicles with two wheels, the advantage of which is that a bicycle or motorcycle has minimal rolling resistance. Drez's bicycles were made entirely of wood. When riding them, you had to find balance on the front wheel in order to move it a little when turning. People then did not dare to remove their feet from the safe ground, so they were propelled by running on the surface.

After a good harvest in 1817, riding bicycles in cities was banned throughout the world, as most cyclists rode on cobblestones, which they could not balance on and hit pedestrians. Over time, this quirk went away on its own. It took almost 50 years until a new generation of people emerged with a better sense of balance.

A new wave of improvements after half a century

1863 A “bone shaker” bicycle appeared, made of solid steel with a rectangular cross-section. The heavy steel wheels make this car a literal vibrator on daily commutes on cobblestone roads.

An improved front wheel with pedals has appeared - direct drive, without gear, with one speed. This machine was already known as a bicycle (“fast leg” in French), but most often it was called a bone shaker. These bicycles became a craze both for outdoor excursions and for riding in indoor academies - something like the roller skating rinks that can still be found in major cities.

1870 The creation of a regular bicycle, although it is better known as a “big wheel”. It became more comfortable to ride than its predecessor, but this ride required acrobatic skills, so the popularity of big wheels was always limited. It was the first all-metal car. Before this, metallurgy was not developed enough to provide metal that was strong enough to build small, lightweight parts. For the first time, everyone began to call this machine a two-wheeled bicycle.

The pedals were still attached directly to the front wheel without a gear mechanism. Solid rubber tires and long spokes on the huge front wheel provided a much smoother ride than its predecessor. The front wheels were installed with an ever-increasing and unlimited diameter, as manufacturers quickly realized that the larger the wheel, the further you can ride on it with one rotation of the pedals. You could buy a wheel of a size that would be comfortable for you, taking into account the length of your legs.

These bicycles were very popular among young people as a means of transportation. They were worth the average wages of a worker for six months from the beginning of the first decade of the 1880s.

Due to the fact that the rider was sitting too high above the center of gravity, the front wheel could be stopped at any moment by a stone, a rut on the road, or a dog suddenly jumping onto the roadway, and the entire device, rotating on the wheel axis, would tip forward. In this case, the rider, having become trapped under the steering wheel with his feet, was unceremoniously thrown headfirst to the ground. This is where the expression “get hit on the back of the neck” came into being.

1872 The German Friedrich Fischer first began to mass produce steel ball bearings, patented by Jules Surrey in 1869.

1876 The Englishmen Brouvet and Harrison received a patent for the first caliper brakes.

1878 The Englishmen Scott and Phillot patented the first effective planetary gear shift mechanism, which was planned to be installed in the hub of the front driving wheel of a bicycle.

In 1878, the first American bicycle manufacturer, Columbia Bicycle, began operations at the Weed Sewing Machine Company in Hartford, Connecticut. The company's first regular product catalog was twenty pages long. The first bicycles had a tall 60-inch rear wheel, unlike European models.

They sold for $125, when sewing machines of the same manufacturer sold for $13.

1879 The Englishman Henry John Lawson created a rear wheel with a chain drive, and this is how the safe bicycle “bikecycle” appeared. Before this, his early models were driven by levers.

1880s. While men risked breaking their necks while racing with the speed of the wind on high wheels, ladies, constrained by corsets and long skirts, could only leisurely ride a circle around the park on a tricycle.

Three-wheeled vehicles were also preferred by most of the worthy gentlemen, such as doctors and clergy. Many mechanical innovations now used on automobiles were originally invented for. Rack and pinion steering, drum and disc brakes are just a few.

1888 A pneumatic tire has been created, which was first invented by an Irish veterinarian in an attempt to provide his son, who had been ill since childhood, a more comfortable ride on his tricycle. This inventive young doctor was named Dunlop. After this invention, comfort and safety could be combined in one transport. Bicycles kept getting cheaper as production methods improved and people wanted to ride a pedal-powered machine.

1890 We started collecting safe bicycles. As the name suggests, these bikes are safer than regular ones. Further improvements in metallurgy prompted another design change, or, most likely, led to a return to the previous design. With metal that was now strong enough to make a good chain, sprockets small and light enough for a person to turn, the next bicycle design was reverted to the original design - with two wheels of the same size.

Now, instead of rotating the pedals along with one revolution of the wheel, by changing the gear ratio you can get the same speed as from a huge and tall wheel. Initially, bicycles still had solid rubber tires, and in the absence of long shock-absorbing spokes, riding on safety rollers was not as uncomfortable as on large-wheeled designs. Some of the safest bicycles 100 years ago were equipped with front or rear suspension. A regular bike and a safety bike were pitted against each other, with the buyer given the choice of the comfort of a big wheel or the safety of a low-slung bike. Another innovation laid the gravestone for the big-wheel design - pneumatic tires.

The safe two-wheeler has essentially the same design as the classic modern bicycle. The safety of the new bicycles allowed more people to ride them. Although bicycles were still relatively expensive, they were mostly ridden by the wealthy elite.

Finds from 20th century designers

1903 Hubs with multi-speed gearboxes, invented by Sturmey Archer, began to be used. Since 1930 they have been widely used on bicycles produced throughout the world. The dominance of these gearboxes continued until 1950, when the familiar parallelogram derailleurs with a sprocket cassette on the rear wheel began to be used.

1930s. Innovator Schwinn built a bicycle with wide tires, a shock-absorbing front fork, and a tiered frame designed to attract the attention of teenagers.

This youth transport became the prototype of the mountain bike. The Schwinn Excelsior became the model for early mountain bikes almost fifty years later.

1977 The first mountain bike appeared, which was developed in the Marin Co., California, north of San Francisco. Joe Breeze, Otis Guy, Harry Fisher and Craig Mitchell were the earliest designers, builders and promoters.

1984 They started adding sprockets to the cassette on the rear wheel, and the number of speeds increased from 15 to 18, 21 and 24.

1994 Sachs (SRAM) produces the Power Disc brake system, the first commercially available hydraulic disc brake.

1996 Mountain biking was first used at the Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia (USA).

The Nilsson Social Research Department states that cycling is the third most popular sport after swimming and morning exercise.

More than one person took part in the invention of this popular vehicle. The bicycle has grown thanks to a number of inventions, which can be traced from our time to the 18th century. Some researchers claim that the drawings of the vehicle (which has two wheels) and the roller chain belong to Leonardo da Vinci.

The history of the creation of a bicycle has a long path of development. Moreover, its analogues appeared first. Count De Sivrac in France built a two-wheeled car made of wood in 1791, called the “Selarifer”. You can move on it while sitting astride and push off the ground with your feet.

German inventor Karl Draize created the first scooter called a “walking machine” in 1817. The design was equipped with a steering wheel and a saddle, and was named after its creator - a trolley. And to this day this word is used in the Russian language. In 1818, this invention was patented. Already in 1839-40 it was improved. Kirk Patrick McMillan, a blacksmith from Scotland, attaches pedals to it. Thus, metal rods attached the rear wheel to the pedal, which pushed it. The bicycle was controlled by a person who was located between the front and rear wheels. He controlled the device using a steering wheel, which was attached to the front wheel.

A few years later, the English engineer Tumpson received a patent for inflatable bicycle tires. But due to their technical imperfections, they did not become widespread at that time. It was only in 1867 that bicycles with pedals began to be mass produced.

The invention received the name “bicycle” thanks to Pierre Michaud. In the 70s of the 19th century, “penny-farthing” bicycles, so named because of the proportionality of the wheels (a penny coin is smaller than a farthing coin), gained popularity. The pedals were attached to a large front wheel, and on top of them was a saddle. Due to the shift in the center of gravity, the bicycle was considered a dangerous means of transportation. An alternative to the penny-farthing was three-wheeled scooters, which quickly gained popularity.

The next stage in the history of bicycle creation was the appearance of a metal wheel with spokes inside. This was proposed by the inventor Eduard Cowper in 1867. And two years later a frame appeared on bicycles. Further, the Englishman Lawson managed to invent a chain drive in the late 70s.

The first, similar to modern ones, was the Rover bicycle - “Wanderer”. It was made in 1884 by Englishman John Kemp Starley. Within a year these bicycles were in mass production. The Rover had a chain drive, the wheels were the same size, and the driver's position was in the center, between the front wheel and the rear. The bicycle won many fans in Europe. Unlike its predecessors, it was safe and convenient. The subsequently created Rover concern, having established the production of bicycles, began to produce cars. But after existing only until 2005, the company went bankrupt.

Scottish inventor John Boyd Dunlop designed rubber tires in 1888, which became quite widespread. They were more advanced and reliable than the patented rubber ones. If before they said about bicycles that they were “bone shakers,” now riding with rubber wheels has become softer.

The nineties of the 19th century were called the golden age of bicycles. Soon pedal brakes appeared, as well as a freewheel mechanism, thanks to which there was no need to constantly pedal. A little later, the handbrake was invented, however, it began to be used much later.

The year 1878 marked the appearance of the first folding bicycle. And in the 90s they made the first aluminum devices. In 1895, the first recumbent was invented - this is a bicycle that you could ride reclining or even lying down. Nine years later, the Peugeot concern began mass production of recambents.

Bicycles with rear and front suspension began to be produced in 1915, especially for the Italian army. The next decade saw the introduction of ball bearings, two- and three-speed hubs, assembly line assembly methods, chain drive derailleurs, steel tubing and the foot brake.

The gear shift mechanisms invented earlier (early 20th century) turned out to be not so perfect. The rear wheel of the bicycle was equipped with two special sprockets on both sides, and in order to change gears it was necessary to stop to remove the wheel and then turn it over. The chain had to be tensioned and secured.

Invented in 1903, the planetary mechanism used to change gears gained popularity only in the 30s of the 20th century. In 1950, Italian cyclist Tullio Campagnolo, who later became a bicycle manufacturer, invented a mechanism similar to today's derailleur.

In 1974, titanium bicycle models appeared, and a year later, carbon fiber models. Already in 1983, a cycling computer was invented, the functions of which included tracking speed, time and load.

It cannot be said that the popularity of bicycles in the 20th century was constantly stable. At the beginning of the century, the automotive industry began to develop, cars became more accessible, as a result of which bicycles lost their popularity. Once again, the fashion for bicycles came along with the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Today they are most popular among residents of European countries. Denmark is considered the most cycling country. A resident of this country drives it 893 km per year. After Denmark comes the Netherlands (853 km). The average resident of Belgium and Germany cycles approximately 300 kilometers per year. Lowest popularity in Southern European countries. The average Spaniard cycles about 20 km per year.

We must pay tribute to the government’s policy, as a result of which the popularity of this type of transport helps improve people’s health and relieve the central streets of cars from congestion. In many Asian countries, the bicycle is considered almost the main means of transportation due to its cheapness. However, even there (take China and India) the use of bicycles began to decline. City residents began to switch to mopeds, motorcycles, and cars. Sometimes, in order for bicycle transport not to interfere with the movement of cars, authorities are forced to take action against it. For example, in Shanghai, in December 2003, cyclists were temporarily banned.

China is considered the main manufacturer of bicycles, since the production of most bicycle companies is located in this country. About 95% of bicycles are made in China.

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 to cover 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, inventing 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 a two-wheeled scooter with a steering wheel and no pedals, with a wooden frame and could reach a 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”. A large number of injuries to customers forced the creators of this miracle to add a third rear wheel, otherwise it was 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:

The first trip around the world by bicycle 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.

First bike. Introduction.

It is very difficult to trace the history of the invention and emergence of the bicycle; each country, as is customary in history, “pulls the blanket” to its side. Therefore, now on the Internet there are a lot of sources with very different versions, real and not so real. Basically, there are two main versions of the story about who first invented the world's first bicycle. One version claims that the first bicycle in the world was invented in Russia, by the blacksmith Artamonov. But soon they forgot about this invention. It was called a two-wheeled cart. According to the second version, in the question “who invented the first bicycle,” Karl von Dres is considered the inventor. It will be discussed below.

The very idea of ​​moving a person on wheels, using his own strength, appeared a very long time ago. An example is all kinds of strollers and carts on four or two wheels. Such inventions appeared almost simultaneously throughout the developed world, for example, France and Germany.

The history of the creation of the first bicycle

Although the history of the creation of the first bicycle is ambiguous, the founder of the bicycle as such can be called Karl von Dres, a German baron. In 1814, he assembled a certain two-wheeled wooden scooter, which he himself gave the name “walking machine.” The main difference between this device and modern bicycles was that it did not have pedals; a person had to push off the ground with his feet in order to move. In 1817, Karl von Dres received a patent for his invention. This was the very story of the invention of the first bicycle.

In the further history of the development of the bicycle, this invention received the name “trolley”, in honor of the name of its creator. This word is still in our vocabulary, but its designation is completely different.

Speaking of different versions of the history of the bicycle, some sources indicate a completely different date for the invention of the first bicycle. It was allegedly the Russian inventor Artamonov, who was already 14 years ahead of the German one. Unfortunately, he was not given a patent for his invention, although his bicycle worked properly - as the story goes, Artamonov rode about 5,000 kilometers on it.

Around 1839-40s, a certain Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scottish blacksmith, decided to improve Drez's bicycle. The most important thing in this modification is the addition of pedals. Macmillan was a little ahead of his time and his work was not appreciated by the general public.

The further history of the development of the bicycle comes mainly from Western Europe and the USA. Various companies made modifications to the connecting rod systems, which were attached to the front wheel.

History of bicycle development

In 1853, thanks to the Frenchman Pierre Michaud, a pedal drive attached to the front wheel was patented. The bike also has a spring-loaded saddle and a brake. In the history of bicycle creation, this model is called a “bone shaker.”

After a two-kilometer “bone shaker” race was held on May 31, 1868 in the Parisian suburb of Saint-Cloud, cycling became a very fun hobby everywhere. By the way, the name of the bicycle is not ambiguous - riding it was really not an easy task, you had to have quite a lot of strength and dexterity.

Then, in 1867, the history of the bicycle was supplemented by a new event - the inventor Cowper developed a new design for a wheel with spokes. A year after this event, in Paris, Meyer & Co. began producing bicycles with a chain - the so-called chain drive to the rear wheel.

1870-1885 is the time of spider bicycles. This is the name given to bicycles with a large front wheel. Pedals were attached to the front wheel, and the rear wheel was several times smaller. Such large wheels were made out of the desire to cover as much distance as possible in one revolution of the wheel. As a rule, due to such wheels, the maximum speed of movement increased and reached almost 30 km/h, but riding such a “spider” was completely unsafe - the slightest bump could cause you to roll over, and the high altitude contributed to major injuries. The only alternatives to “spiders” were tricycles.

Further in the history of “spider” bicycles there is a small improvement - the English inventor Lawson added a chain drive to the design. This model was called the “kangaroo”, its speed depended on the type of gears. In 1880, the city government of St. Petersburg registered about a hundred of these bicycles, and soon, two years later, they began to appear in Moscow. These bicycles were not at all suitable for the Moscow roads of those times, and were completely banned by the government.

Then the improvement of designs continued non-stop - about 6,000 patents were filed in England and the USA alone.

"Safe Bike"

The beginning of modern bicycles in the history of their creation was laid in 1884 by James K. Starley. But the really big leap forward in technology came from Scottish veterinarian John Boyd Dunlop, who added the pneumatic hollow tire. To make it more comfortable for his son to ride the “boneshaker,” he put a watering hose on the wheels and filled them with water, but this greatly reduced the speed of movement. Then he filled the hose with air, and even came up with a special valve so that the air did not leave the tire under its own pressure. This invention was precisely the innovation that led to the widespread use of bicycles.

In the subsequent history of bicycles, they were constantly improved, weight was reduced, speed was increased, and comfort and strength were increased.

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Many historians are arguing about who invented the bicycle; it would seem that there is no simpler invention in the world. That’s why the expression “reinventing the wheel” has an ironic connotation, meaning an attempt to come up with a new solution when a proven and reliable solution already exists for a long time. However, the bicycle was indeed reinvented several times, and there is historical evidence of this, and many people participated in this process. The development of the bicycle dates back to the 18th century and continues to this day.

First transport In a person's life, the bicycle that he receives in childhood and with the help of which he learns to maintain balance becomes a bicycle. Bicycles are an “assistant” for postmen, schoolchildren, workers, as well as those who prefer not to use public transport, who fight for the environment or play sports and active recreation. Scientists from different countries have long proven the health-improving role of cycling.

Who created the bicycle, in what year?

There is no clear answer to this question. First developments attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and his student Giacomo Caprotti, but the origin of these drawings is considered dubious. There are also unconfirmed legends about the Ural craftsman Artamonov, who rode a bicycle of his own invention from Tagil to Moscow and thereby held the world's first bicycle race.

Beginning in 1817, no longer artisanal, but official attempts were made at the industrial level to develop and improve a model of a wheeled vehicle.

One of the reasons for the development of this type of transport was monstrous climate anomaly 1816 in the Northern Hemisphere. Due to a volcanic eruption in April 1815 in Indonesia, the northern part of the planet experienced a summer with air temperatures near zero, a lean year and a decline in the number of horses. This is not to mention the fact that more than 70 thousand people died in Indonesia itself.

But there would be no happiness if misfortune did not help! Was alternative developed travel on horseback. Subsequently, the convenience of a new waste-free means of transportation, which does not require investment and does not depend on anything other than the efforts of the rider, was appreciated by grateful humanity and gained worldwide popularity. The bicycle today is used on all continents, not counting the Arctic and Antarctica.

Who invented the first bicycle

The name “bicycle” (“swift-footed”) was proposed by the Frenchman Joseph Niepce. In addition, for a long time and in many languages, the bicycle was called Rover thanks to John Starley. The French name “bicyclet,” which existed for some time in Russia, did not take root anywhere. But in England there is no “bicycle”, there is a “bicycle”.

The history of the creation and improvement of the bicycle

The design of the bicycle was constantly updated.

• In 1853, the same Monsieur Michaud added a spring-loaded saddle and brakes to the bicycle.
• In 1867, thanks to Edward Cowper, spoked wheels appeared on the vehicle.

In 1869, the first bicycle race took place in France. At that time, the bicycle already had a frame.

• 1870-1885 - the time of funny and scary "spider" bicycles with a disproportionately large front wheel with pedals, a saddle on top of this wheel and a small rear wheel. Due to their appearance, known today from engravings, they were called "penny farthings" (large and small coins). Such large wheels could travel a long distance in one revolution of the wheel. And they increased the speed of movement to almost 30 km/h, but riding on such a design was fraught with the danger of turning over on the slightest bump and getting seriously injured, which happened quite regularly.

About a hundred “penny farthings” were registered in St. Petersburg, and then in Moscow, but soon this type of transport was prohibited by law due to its danger.

• In 1878, Horace Lawson added a chain drive to the design. In the same year, folding bicycles appeared.
• In 1888, John Dunlop gave the bicycle inflatable rubber tires, which reduced shaking when riding and made movement much more comfortable. He simply wrapped the metal wheels of the “boneshaker,” as the bicycle was also called, with a watering hose and filled it with air. This was a revolution in the history of bicycle development.

Dunlop was a veterinarian by profession, and he undertook to improve the vehicle for the sake of his son.

• In 1898, the bicycle received the ability to freewheel and, in addition to the design, pedal brakes.
• In the 90s of the century before last, bicycles appeared on which you could move lying down or reclining.
• At the beginning of the 20th century, bicycles had a planetary gearshift, and in 1950, racer Tullio Campagnolo developed a new one, which is still used today.
• In the 70s of the twentieth century, the production of bicycles made of titanium and carbon fiber began; they were designed for movement in the mountains and were called that way: mountain bikes.
• In 1983, the bicycle was equipped with a cycling computer and a complex gear shift system.

Bicycle at different times in different countries

At the beginning of the twentieth century, the popularity of bicycles decreased somewhat due to the development of the automobile industry. Humanity switched to a new toy and enthusiastically studied its capabilities for almost half a century. Bicycle fashion returned in the 60s as a result of promoting a healthy lifestyle.

Today, a cyclist is a full-fledged participant in road traffic; Thanks to the increase in the number of those who travel on mechanical two-wheeled friends, highways are unloaded, and the atmosphere of the city becomes cleaner. and the health of the nation is stronger.

In the territory of the former USSR, bicycles began to be produced since 1924. The country ranked fourth in the world in the production of this equipment.

At the moment, a wide spread of this type of transport has been noticed in Denmark, followed by the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. The popularity of the two-wheeled friend is also growing in Russia. But in Spain and other southern European countries it remains low: the average resident of this country cycles no more than 20 km per year.

In many European cities you can rent a bicycle, even for free. Number of cyclists in many European cities is more than 60%.

They also love bicycles in Asia because they are cheap, although recently they have been inferior to motorcycles and cars.

Conclusion

In general, we can say that cycling is a lifestyle. It is environmentally friendly and does not add costs. It gives freedom of action, advantages over motorists, pedestrians and motorcyclists. It allows you to experience an adrenaline rush and a feeling of flight, get rid of stress and improve your health.

This simple device changes your life in an amazing way. On a clear day, it is much more interesting to spend your free time walking around the city or a picturesque forest park than lying on the couch. A sea of ​​positive emotions, new impressions and a huge number of bright and memorable photographs - this is what a bicycle will give to everyone who knows how to stay in its saddle at least a little.