Guide
The history of the bicycle.
Two wheels, a frame, a handlebar. So simple, and yet it took almost 70 years for the bicycle to look the way it does today. A short history, from the running machine to the e-bike.
In short
1817 in Mannheim
Karl Drais presents his running machine: two wheels, a wooden frame, no pedals.
1885 in Coventry
The Rover Safety Bicycle has two wheels of the same size and a chain. Bikes still look like that today.
“Fahrrad” since 1885
The German Cyclists' Federation introduces the German word. Before, it was mostly called a velocipede.
The inventor
Karl Drais' running machine.
On 12 June 1817, Karl Freiherr von Drais set off in Mannheim on a strange contraption: two wooden wheels one behind the other, a seat in between, a handlebar at the front. There were no pedals; Drais pushed himself along with his feet. To the Schwetzingen relay station and back, around 14 kilometres, took him about an hour, faster than anyone on foot. The running machine was born.
In January 1818 Drais received a privilege from the Grand Duke of Baden for it, a kind of patent. That same year, the London coachbuilder Denis Johnson patented an improved version. In England it was soon called the hobby-horse or dandy-horse and was all the rage for a short while.
Milestones
In ten milestones.
1817
The running machine
Karl Drais presents his running machine in Mannheim: two wheels, a wooden frame, no pedals. The birth of the two-wheeler.
1861
The pedal velocipede
In Paris, the running machine gets pedal cranks on the front wheel, according to tradition in the workshop of Pierre Michaux. The “boneshaker” is loud and uncomfortable, and a huge success.
1871
The high-wheeler
James Starley builds the high-wheeler “Ariel” in Coventry, with a huge front wheel and wire spokes. Fast and elegant, and deadly in a fall.
1885
The safety bicycle
John Kemp Starley, a nephew of James, builds the “Rover Safety Bicycle”: two wheels of the same size, chain drive to the rear wheel. The basic shape of the bicycle to this day.
around 1900
Mass production
Pneumatic tyres, factories and falling prices make the bicycle an everyday vehicle for millions.
1923
The “Long John” cargo bike
In Denmark, Morten Rasmussen Mortensen develops the Long John for the SCO brand, a cargo bike with a low load platform between handlebar and front wheel.
1960s
Small wheels and the chopper
The Moulton with its small wheels and the Schwinn Sting-Ray set trends: compact bikes for town and the chopper-style bike with a banana seat for teenagers.
1970s
The mountain bike
In Marin County, California, pioneers like Joe Breeze and Gary Fisher race down the hills on converted old bikes. The mountain bike is born.
around 2000
The e-bike
Light lithium-ion batteries and sensors that measure pedalling make electric assistance fit for everyday use. The e-bike brings new people onto bikes.
2000s
The fixie
Bike messengers in New York and San Francisco turn the simple fixed-gear bike into a cult. Bike culture becomes a way of life.
“It is a peculiar fact in the history of the bicycle that almost all improvements had to be invented twice, sometimes even three times, before they came into general use.”
Society
The bike changed the world.
Emancipation
In the late 19th century, the bike gave many women mobility of their own for the first time. It became a symbol of the women's movement.
Fashion
Women cyclists of the 1890s wore baggy trousers, bloomers, instead of long skirts. That caused quite a stir.
Work
As an affordable way to get around, the bike took workers to the factory, over longer distances too.
Cities
Cycle paths, bicycle streets, bike sharing: the bike is still changing how cities are built.
Climate
No exhaust, hardly any noise, little space: the bike is one of the cleanest ways to get around there is.
A way of life
From the fixie to the gravel bike to the cargo bike: cycling has long been a conscious choice.
Names
What the bike has been called.
Laufmaschine
Drais' own name for his invention of 1817: running machine. You sat on it and ran.
Draisine
Named after its inventor. Today it's also the name of a rail vehicle you move with muscle power.
Hobby-horse
Denis Johnson's London version of 1818, named after the children's toy. Also called a dandy-horse.
Velocipede
From the Latin velox, fast, and pes, foot. For a long time the usual name for bikes with pedals.
Boneshaker
The nickname for the pedal bikes of the 1860s, with iron tyres on cobblestones.
Penny-farthing
The high-wheeler, named after the large penny and the small farthing, two English coins.
Reitrad
Proposed in 1882 as a German word for the velocipede: riding wheel. It never caught on.
Fahrrad
The German word since 1885, introduced by the German Cyclists' Federation.
Drahtesel
German for a trusty bike, in jest: a donkey made of wire that carries you anywhere.
Protect your bike
Over 200 years of bicycles. Yours deserves protection.
Karl insures your bike against theft, crashes and vandalism, worldwide and with no excess.