Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn - Early BicyclesThe German Baron Karl Drais von Sauerbronn invented the "Laufmaschine" or "Running Machine", a type of pre-bicycle. The steerable Laufmaschine was made entirely of wood and had no pedals; a rider would push his/her feet against the ground to make the machine go forward. Sauerbronn's bicycle was first exhibited in Paris on April 6, 1818. The celerifere was another similar early bicycle precursor invented in 1790 by Frenchmen, Comte Mede de Sivrac, however, it had no steering.
Penny FarthingThe Penny Farthing is also referred to as the 'High' or 'Ordinary' bicycle, and the first one was invented in 1871 by British engineer, James Starley. The Penny Farthing came after the development of the 'Hobbyhorse', and the French 'Velocipede' or 'Boneshaker', all versions of early bikes. However, the Penny Farthing was the first really efficient bicycle, consisting of a small rear wheel and large front wheel pivoting on a simple tubular frame with tires of rubber.
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information from http://www.about.com/
How cool, I did not know that the first bikes you pushed so neat to find out such fun info. Hope you have a great weekend. Blessings,Karen
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen! Glad you enjoyed the article!
ReplyDeleteLOL...trust the French to make a bike you CAN'T STEER...!!! I guess they just yelled "Pardonnez-moi!" while riding it!!! They must have been Aggies! Wait, I just insulted myself, too...
ReplyDeletethat sign made my heart skip a beat...I'm from Chicopee, MA and A.G. Spauldings was HUGE company in town for many years until it was bought by Calloway Golf a few years ago.
ReplyDeletenow, I'm going to go back and read the article!!
Joanne- so glad I could take you down memory lane!
ReplyDelete