When did the modern bicycle appear?
The inventor to whom we owe the modern bicycle is John Kemp Starley. This Englishman launched the Safety Bicycle, or what is the same, the "safety bicycle", whose design is much closer to what we know today, since it had brakes and a structure similar to that of now. This model of bicycle was put on the market in 1885 and, three years later, inner tube tires were added, an invention of John Boyd Dunlop.
Of course, over the years, the history of the bicycle continued to evolve into the one we know today. And it continues towards its future: electric bicycles. There is no doubt that the bicycle has become a common means of transportation, as well as an instrument for doing sports.
The origins of the bicycle
Within the history of the bicycle there is a proper name that we cannot avoid mentioning: Karl von Draventó German bicycle that invented the German in 1817 creating a structure made of wood. According to the experts and the records that are available, the design of the bicycle in that year was not at all as we know it today. First, because it had no pedals. You had to push yourself with your feet, as if it were a scooter, until it picked up speed. And to stop? Well, the same, with the feet.
Despite its rudimentary design and the fact that it did not seem very practical, the truth is that the Draisiana, as this first bicycle was baptized, was a success among people and many were encouraged to have one. Fortunately, years later, in 1839, there was a great evolution of the bicycle. This is where another name comes into play: Kirkpatrick Macmillan, a Scotsman who knew how to see the von Drais concept and implemented improvements on its structure.
What did? He put wheels and pedals on the bicycle in such a way that no impulse was needed to make the bicycle go. Of course, the way in which the pedals moved the bicycle was not done with chains, but through irons connected to the wheels so that they moved when pedaling.
The next date that marked a revolution in the invention of the bicycle is 1861. That year, Pierre Michaux managed to further improve the design of Kard Drais and Kirkpatrick Macmillan. However, it was not as good as the previous ones. The Frenchman placed pedals right on the front wheel, but the problem arose that it destabilized the bike.
As early as 1879, the Englishman James Starley, keeping the pedals in the same place, invented a bicycle with a much larger front wheel than the rear wheel because he thought that this would solve the problem of balance of the bicycle . The truth is that very few people were able to get on the bike, get off or even drive it, since their feet did not reach the ground. To this was added that it was dangerous to brake.
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