Kirkpatrick McMillan and Pierre Michaux, improvements to La Draisiana
Two decades after La Draisiana, in 1839, the question of who invented the bicycle can now be answered. Kirkpatrick McMillan took the German vehicle, which was also called a velocipede, and added pedals to it, though he did not yet include chains to facilitate propulsion.
In a jump of 20 years, until 1861, it is necessary to highlight the figure of Pierre Michaux, a Frenchman who also tried to improve Karl Drais's machine. His innovation consisted of including pedals on the front wheel, but it was not as successful, which is why many do not consider him the person who answers who invented the bike.
James Starley and his bicycles with huge front wheels
McMillan's invention was never such, or at least not officially, because he did not get to patent it, something that Gavin Dalzell from Lesmahagow did do a little later, who copied the Scotsman's model. For more than 50 years Dalzell was considered the inventor of the bicycle.
In the second half of the 19th century, all kinds of inventions and devices appeared that were getting closer and closer to today's bicycles. One of them was that of the Englishman James Starley, who decided that the front wheel, where Michaux's pedals were attached, should be larger than the rear, to improve balance when moving. Meanwhile, the demand for bicycles was increasing more and more between the years 1869 and 1880.
John Kemp Starley, creator of the modern bicycle
Later in the century, in 1885, English inventor John Kemp Starley, a nephew of James Starley, produced the Rover bicycle, which was equipped with a rear chain drive system, two wheels of similar size, and much more stable than previous designs. previous high wheels.
A few years later, in 1890, John Boyd Dunlop, also an Englishman, who founded the Dunlop Tires tire company, invented fabric and rubber inner tubes, giving rise to today's wheels. This innovation gave way to a much more powerful industry, but he can't really be considered the inventor of the bicycle, as that honor goes to John Kemp Starley.
The bicycle is becoming an increasingly common vehicle in urban centers, among other things due to its non-polluting nature. Thus, many cities are promoting the use of this vehicle to limit the emission of greenhouse gases derived from fossil fuels. Today we tell you a little about the history of this means of transport. Did you know who invented the bicycle?
The names associated with the invention of the bike
When we talk about who is the inventor of the bicycle, doubts arise as to what is truly the correct answer, and that is that, over the years, many names have been associated with this wonderful invention.
To make something clearer for you, here we leave you those responsible for the creation of the bicycle:
So, in what years was the bicycle invented and who was the architect of this idea? It is not until the 19th century that one can really speak of the bicycle as an invention.
Specifically, from the year 1817, when the German Karl Christian Ludwig Drais von Sauerbronn designed what he called La Draisiana, a vehicle that moved by man's force by moving his feet against the ground and that already had wheels. But was he really the one who invented the bicycle?
Long before the 19th century, some texts from Ancient Egypt and Chinese culture indicate that rudimentary artifacts with two wheels joined by a bar were already in use. These were even more so, proto-bikes.
Proto-bicycles, in Ancient Egypt and Chinese culture
Who invented the bike and when was it?
Why Klette?
When was the bicycle invented?
With all these data, when asked when the bicycle was invented, it could be said that it was in the 19th century, since all the inventors who were introducing innovations to this form of mobility developed their activity at that time. To where the bicycle was invented, the answer is in Germany, where Baron Karl von Drais was born and lived.
From the first bicycle in history to the present, the cycle has undergone multiple evolutions, as well as changes in the way it is used. A clear example is our subscription service for urban bicycles, where you pay exclusively for the time of use and keep all possible incidents covered.
Karl Drais, McMillan, Michaux, Gavin Dalzell, James Starley, John Kemp Starley... doubts about who invented the bicycle are still very present, but what is certain is that this means of transport is a sustainable, fun and economical way to scroll.
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