The History of the Bicycle

By Saori Kimura

The bicycle was not invented by one individual or in one country. It took nearly 100years and many individuals for the modern bicycle to be born.

Bicycles first appeared in Scotland in the early 1800s, and were called velocipedes. These early bicycles had two wheels, but they had no pedals. Soon a French inventor added pedals to the front wheel. However, pedaling was hard because velocipedes were very heavy.

In addition, British engineers and American manufacturers changed wheels. They thought the wheels should be different shapes. So they invented the bicycle which had different wheels.

The British altered the design one last time. They made the two wheels equal in size and created a mechanism that uses a chain to turn the rear wheels. With this final change, the modern bicycle was born, and bicycle riding became very popular. Bicycles revolutionized the way people traveled. Today, millions of people worldwide ride bicycles for transportation, enjoyment, sport, and exercise.