Bicycle History Timeline
1817 - Baron von Drais invented a walking machine: two same-size in-line wheels, the front one steerable, mounted in a frame which you straddled. The device was propelled by pushing feet against the ground, thus rolling yourself and the device forward in a sort of gliding walk.
1839 - Two-wheeled vehicle was designed by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith. It was the first of its kind that allowed people to ride without touching their feet to the ground.
1860 - A two-wheeled riding machine with pedals applied directly to the front wheel was invented by France's Pierre Michaux . It was still made of wood.
1870 - The first two-wheeled all metal machine was invented. The pedals were still atttached directly to the front wheel with no freewheeling mechanism. This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle ("two wheel").
1876 - The first tricycle mass-produced by Coventry Lever, it was equipped with a Lever gear built by James Starley. The three-wheeled Salvo built by Starley, incorporated innovations such as a lighter frame, spoke wheels, and a highly advanced chain drive.
1878 - Otto and Wallace invented the Kangaroo, with the world's first gear system, added brakes to the ordinary cycle which had become more and more dangerous due to the increasing diameter of the front wheel for riding at faster speeds.
1879 - Bayliss Thomas invented "The Bayliss Thomas", which was the climax of ordinary bicycle beauty and the most complete model to date. With this model, the once solid steel frame was replaced by hollow tubing including the front fork.
1879 - Harry John Lawson, an Englishman, produced the first bicycle driven by a chain to the rear wheel. He positioned the pedals in between the front and rear wheels, and had the pedaling motion conducted to the rear wheel via a chain.
1880 - The most successful dicycle was invented by the Englishman E.C.F. Otto during the heyday of the ordinary cycle. Its two large wheels placed side by side were driven by a left and right pedal. The vehicle enabled smooth turning by relaxing the pedal on the side of the turn so that the wheel on the other side spun faster.
1885 - John Kemp Starley, a nephew of James Starley, the man who built the Ariel in 1870 and subsequently designed a number of safety bicycles, built the Rover with equal-sized wheels. This was the prototype of the modern-day bicycle.
Two or three years thereafter, the bicycle's components such as the frame material, tires, variable speed gears, saddle, and chain were rapidly made practical.
1896 - It was believed that the first mountain bike was invented by Buffalo Soldiers, a turn-of-the-century infantry who customized bicycles to carry gear over rough terrain. They rode from Missoula, Montana, to Yellowstone and back, an arduous 800 miles. Their mission was to test the bicycle for military use in mountainous terrain.
1839 - Two-wheeled vehicle was designed by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith. It was the first of its kind that allowed people to ride without touching their feet to the ground.
1860 - A two-wheeled riding machine with pedals applied directly to the front wheel was invented by France's Pierre Michaux . It was still made of wood.
1870 - The first two-wheeled all metal machine was invented. The pedals were still atttached directly to the front wheel with no freewheeling mechanism. This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle ("two wheel").
1876 - The first tricycle mass-produced by Coventry Lever, it was equipped with a Lever gear built by James Starley. The three-wheeled Salvo built by Starley, incorporated innovations such as a lighter frame, spoke wheels, and a highly advanced chain drive.
1878 - Otto and Wallace invented the Kangaroo, with the world's first gear system, added brakes to the ordinary cycle which had become more and more dangerous due to the increasing diameter of the front wheel for riding at faster speeds.
1879 - Bayliss Thomas invented "The Bayliss Thomas", which was the climax of ordinary bicycle beauty and the most complete model to date. With this model, the once solid steel frame was replaced by hollow tubing including the front fork.
1879 - Harry John Lawson, an Englishman, produced the first bicycle driven by a chain to the rear wheel. He positioned the pedals in between the front and rear wheels, and had the pedaling motion conducted to the rear wheel via a chain.
1880 - The most successful dicycle was invented by the Englishman E.C.F. Otto during the heyday of the ordinary cycle. Its two large wheels placed side by side were driven by a left and right pedal. The vehicle enabled smooth turning by relaxing the pedal on the side of the turn so that the wheel on the other side spun faster.
1885 - John Kemp Starley, a nephew of James Starley, the man who built the Ariel in 1870 and subsequently designed a number of safety bicycles, built the Rover with equal-sized wheels. This was the prototype of the modern-day bicycle.
Two or three years thereafter, the bicycle's components such as the frame material, tires, variable speed gears, saddle, and chain were rapidly made practical.
1896 - It was believed that the first mountain bike was invented by Buffalo Soldiers, a turn-of-the-century infantry who customized bicycles to carry gear over rough terrain. They rode from Missoula, Montana, to Yellowstone and back, an arduous 800 miles. Their mission was to test the bicycle for military use in mountainous terrain.