Bycicle Facts

June 13, 2012 | In: Sport Facts

Yes, the bicycle is one of the most important things in our early life, and the one responsible for many of our fractured bones. But we still love it.

Although its name illustrates its form, just so you know, I’ll tell you that bicycles didn’t always have only two wheels. Let’s see a short history of this astounding toy.

In 1817 a baron invented a walking machine that helped him get around the royal gardens.  The machine became known as the hobby horse.

The next appearance of a two-wheeled riding machine was in 1865, when pedals were applied directly to the front wheel. This machine was known as the velocipede, but was popularly known as the bone shaker, since it was also made entirely of wood.

In 1870 the first all metal machine appeared. The pedals were still attached directly to the front wheel with no freewheeling mechanism.

While the men were risking their necks on the high wheels, ladies, confined to their long skirts and corsets, could take a spin around the park on an adult tricycle.

The pneumatic tire was first applied to the bicycle by an Irish veterinarian who was trying to give his young son a more comfortable ride on his tricycle.

Over the years, people struggled to give the bicycle a unique design, usually failing in their task. Nowadays, the design remains almost entirely the same, but the fun begins when we start talking about their features; their expensive features, to be precise. I’ll tell you a secret: the most expensive bicycle is the Trek “Butterfly” Madone – $500,000.