Who invented the bike?

Let's take a trip back in time...

Bikes seem to have been around forever and are just such a normal part of daily life for many. Very few people question how the bike was invented and who was the person who brought it all together.

What’s interesting is that the bicycle is a combination of many people adding parts over many years. Where the bike started and where it is now are very different. In this article, we will tell you everything you need to know. We will be discussing:

1. Finding information on bicycle history.

Before we start, it’s important to understand that since the invention of the bike lies so far back in time, there is no uniform history of it. Some people claim to have invented it first, some people discuss what can even be considered a "bike", so the stories differ... We will present you what our research led us to, and we will do so in best conscience.

2. The original design of the bicycle.

A first draft of what can be considered as the original bike design dates back to the 1500s. Although, these sketches never went into actual construction, their variants have been around a long time with many different unverified creators claiming ownership of the invention.

It is widely known and documented that Gian Giacomo Caprotti, a pupil of  Leonardo da Vinci, had documented it, but people think it was a fraud. Many people think Augusto Marinoni was the actual inventor. Although many came up with the idea of two wheels and a frame.

This was no ordinary bicycle, it was referred to as more of a hobby horse and had a wooden frame. It was more of a running machine which if you saw today, you would struggle to compare it to most bicycles.

3. The first bicycle ever made.

The first bicycle was made by Baron Karl von Drais in 1817. He was from Germany, and the bicycle was also known as the Velocipede, the Draistine, or Draisenne, depending on whether you were in Germany, England, or France. He was known as the inventor of the bike and one of the first bicycle makers.

This wasn’t your regular bicycle. It was more of a walker. Imagine a child's balance bike made for adults. It was highly recommended by mechanical-minded people, and it ended up selling thousands. The first trip was recorded at 8 miles covered in less than an hour.

Unfortunately, its popularity didn’t last very long. With a big rise in accidents, many cities decided that the bicycle wasn’t a great idea, and they stopped people using it for safety. New models were released a year later, but nothing was too different.

4. The invention of pedals.

Although there were so many interesting advancements to bikes in 30 years up until 1853, this was when bikes started to properly see pedals equipped. The Tretkurbel Fahrrad was made by Philipp Moritz Fischer.

He didn’t make the invention public. It now lives in the municipality museum in Schweinfurt. It’s a very popular bicycle, and people often see this as the first real proper bicycle because you actually pedaled. It still heavily lacked anything else, such as brakes. 

5. The High-Wheeler.

Bikes continued to advance, and the design became more refined over many years. One of the biggest leaps was up to the high-wheeler. Also known as the penny farthing. Which was invented by Eugène Meyer in the 1970s.

At this point, bikes still didn’t have brakes. You would either need to get your feet on the floor or backpedal like a fixed bike to slow down. You can see why they were not considered very safe to start with. They had a bicycle frame which put you in a dangerous position and were not easy to mount.

6. The pneumatic rubber tires.

In the 1980s, pneumatic tires were introduced to bicycles. This was from John Dunlop and made riding more efficient and a lot more comfortable. Before, you would be running your bike on solid objects instead. 

The Pneumatic tires era, was a very big time for cycling as the bike went from being a useful tool into a pleasant experience. This was when cycling started to boom and bring many more riders onto the streets. To start with it was a steel rim, then went to a solid rubber tires. With are made practical bicycles although they could puncture.

7. The safety boom.

In the 1880s, the bicycle was not for everyone. It was considered dangerous and too fast for many. Shortly after, the big safety boom came in. Bikes started getting brakes, which came in extremely handy.

We also saw many bikes go from having the drive on the front wheel to switching to a chain drive and going to the rear wheel. This not only was a lot safer for people's feet, but it also meant steering was much easier. This even came with a new bike called the safety bicycle.

Years after this, cycling had become very popular and it was a huge form of transport. Then the automotive industry started and bicycle sales slowed down. It soon recovered later as they were available to more people and another bicycle boom started.

8. New designs emerge.

From there on, many manufacturers made the call that the current bicycle design they have should be built on further, and parts such as extra cogs on the cassettes were added. Derailleurs started to get used, and much more technology became available.

9. New disciplines are established.

In the 20th century, a lot happened. With the bikes advancing, we started to see a lot of different disciplines come into play. We had bikes for riding on the road, mountain bikes for the trails, and even BMX for doing tricks. Racing bicycles were a big hit and even safety bicycles were incredibly popular.

In modern times, there are around 25 different types of bikes, some being as unique as the recumbent, where you actually lay down and pedal instead of being upright and having to balance. The majority we see in modern times are a road bike, a gravel bike and a mountain bike.

10. The modern bicycle.

The modern bicycle has come a very long way. Not only do we still use steel like in older times, but we also have lightweight aluminum and carbon fiber bicycle frames and wheels. The gearing on many bikes is now electronic and, in certain cases, wireless between the components. It can even self-adjust while you're riding.

Another great feature of modern bikes is you have disc brake options. They come in cable and hydraulic options, which have fluid to drive the pistons together like a car. You even have pedals which clip your feet in for better power transfer. Bikes have come a very long way, and a lot of great technology is now involved. 

Another very honorable mention is the electric bike. On some, you can go 100 miles without pedaling or recharging. You also get automatic gearboxes, and some are as light as 12 kilos, which is phenomenal! 

11. What’s in the future for the bicycle?

You might not think the bicycle can advance much further, but there’s a lot in store from manufacturers. There’s been talk of self-charging electronic components and even bikes with ABS and other car technology. 

Now while we can't say for sure what the future of bicycles will look like, we can make some statements about its present. After all, buycycle.com is home to over 17.000 pre-owned and refurbished road, gravel and mountain bikes. Take a look at our website, because there for sure is a bike for you too. If you want to part ways with your old bikes, you can sell it easily and safely with us too. Now, for any more questions about the history of the bicycle or bikes in general, our team is always here for you. And for some more interesting articles around all things cycling, best stay on the blog a little longer... Until then, we wish you, as always: Happy browsing, happy cycling!