Consider yourself cycling savvy? Yeah you might have all the gear and know how to take your bike apart and put it back together again - but how much do you know about its history? You might not have known this, but the humble bicycle celebrates its 200th birthday this year.
To help celebrate 200 years of the bike, we're going to run through a brief history of the biggest events that changed the world of cycling forever!
Invented by Karl Von Drais, a German Baron, this two wheeler grew some popularity in both Germany and France. It had no pedals and was far away from the bikes we use today in terms of design - far and away from the typical men's hybrid bikes that we see in the streets today. However, it had two wheels so technically we can call it the first ever bicycle.
What many mistake to be the first ever bike, the Penny Farthing (otherwise known as the high-wheeler) was a monstrosity of a bike, but was extremely popular. They feature a gigantic front wheel and a miniscule back wheel. Incredibly difficult to navigate and ridiculous to look at, you have to wonder what attracted so many people to them back then.
The previous models of bicycles did not include chains, which made controlling your bike a nightmare - before the chain you could only control the front wheel, which meant you had to rely on your own momentum to get that back wheel to go anywhere - the chain made everything that little bit easier.
As you can probably imagine, the Penny Farthing caused many an accident and people were starting to tire of them. In comes the Rover Safety, which had two wheels of the same size. Far lower to the ground, the Rover Safety was a MUCH safer bike if you were to experience a crash.
American Thomas Stevens rode around the world on a Penny Farthing, the journey took him three years. We imagine he may have picked up a few bumps and scrapes along the way falling off that!
We're sure you've heard the song, we can't tell you when it was made, but we can tell you when the Tandem bicycle was! Created for couples (obviously) the bike was a huge novelty for peoples who can't imagine spend a second apart from each other!
The most famous biking tournament in the world, the first Tour De France was won by a man named Maurice Garin. The tournament is run annually and is probably the biggest event on the cycling calendar.
Cycling was growing into a massive sport by this time and there was an appetite for something more extreme - enter the mountain bike. In Marin County, California, a man named Joe Breeze created a bicycle that could withstand the punishment of a mountain trail (just) by using ridiculously sized tyres. These bikes were nothing like the mountain bikes we see today, no suspension whatsoever made for an uncomfortable, but fun, ride down the slopes.
The world's fastest man on a bike was Freddie Markham, who was clocked riding 81km an hour - that's a pedal bike, not a motorbike! Safe to say that his calves were a bit tender the next morning.
Entitled "The Great City" and located in China, this location is completely car free - meaning it's a cyclist's heaven. Built in the mind of a pollution-free city, considering China's problems with smog, this city will be populated by almost 80,000 people.
To help celebrate 200 years of the bike, we're going to run through a brief history of the biggest events that changed the world of cycling forever!
1817 - The Invention of the 'Draisine'
Invented by Karl Von Drais, a German Baron, this two wheeler grew some popularity in both Germany and France. It had no pedals and was far away from the bikes we use today in terms of design - far and away from the typical men's hybrid bikes that we see in the streets today. However, it had two wheels so technically we can call it the first ever bicycle.
1866 - Here Comes the Penny Farthing
What many mistake to be the first ever bike, the Penny Farthing (otherwise known as the high-wheeler) was a monstrosity of a bike, but was extremely popular. They feature a gigantic front wheel and a miniscule back wheel. Incredibly difficult to navigate and ridiculous to look at, you have to wonder what attracted so many people to them back then.
1879 - Chains Were Introduced
The previous models of bicycles did not include chains, which made controlling your bike a nightmare - before the chain you could only control the front wheel, which meant you had to rely on your own momentum to get that back wheel to go anywhere - the chain made everything that little bit easier.
1884 - A Safer Alternative: The Rover Safety
As you can probably imagine, the Penny Farthing caused many an accident and people were starting to tire of them. In comes the Rover Safety, which had two wheels of the same size. Far lower to the ground, the Rover Safety was a MUCH safer bike if you were to experience a crash.
1887 - First Person to Cycle the World
American Thomas Stevens rode around the world on a Penny Farthing, the journey took him three years. We imagine he may have picked up a few bumps and scrapes along the way falling off that!
1891 - On a Bicycle Built for Two
We're sure you've heard the song, we can't tell you when it was made, but we can tell you when the Tandem bicycle was! Created for couples (obviously) the bike was a huge novelty for peoples who can't imagine spend a second apart from each other!
1903 - The First Tour de France
The most famous biking tournament in the world, the first Tour De France was won by a man named Maurice Garin. The tournament is run annually and is probably the biggest event on the cycling calendar.
1970 - The First Mountain Bikes
Cycling was growing into a massive sport by this time and there was an appetite for something more extreme - enter the mountain bike. In Marin County, California, a man named Joe Breeze created a bicycle that could withstand the punishment of a mountain trail (just) by using ridiculously sized tyres. These bikes were nothing like the mountain bikes we see today, no suspension whatsoever made for an uncomfortable, but fun, ride down the slopes.
1979 - The Fastest Man on a Bike
The world's fastest man on a bike was Freddie Markham, who was clocked riding 81km an hour - that's a pedal bike, not a motorbike! Safe to say that his calves were a bit tender the next morning.
2012 - The Bicycle Sanctuary
Entitled "The Great City" and located in China, this location is completely car free - meaning it's a cyclist's heaven. Built in the mind of a pollution-free city, considering China's problems with smog, this city will be populated by almost 80,000 people.
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