transport [animated pictures and text] [timeline] [bicycles]

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  1820s : Draisine
  The Draisienne or the "Running Machine" was invented by German Barn Karl von Drais. It had a typical bicycle frame and two wheels, but it was propelled by walking as opposed to peddling.
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  1860s : Boneshaker
  The Boneshaker was a two-wheeled bicycle with pedals and cranks on the front wheel. It was known as the bone shaker because the combination of a wood frame and metal tyres made for a very uncomfortable ride over cobblestone streets.
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  1870s : Penny Farthing
  Frenchman Eugène Meyer invented the wire-spoked wheel which allowed English inventor James Starley to design the Penny Farthing. The name came from the British penny and farthing coins, one much larger than the other. The trend was short-lived but it became a symbol of the late Victorian era as its popularity as a racing sport grew.
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  1880s : High Wheeled Velocipede
  The high-wheeled bicycle was one of the first models to be called a "bicycle" (after its two wheels). The high wheel allowed the rider to travel farther with a single rotation of the pedals. Moreover, a metal frame and rubber tyres provided a more comfortable ride than the boneshaker.
  
  
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  1890's : Safety Bicycle
  The Rover Safety bicycle was invented by John Kemp Starely and featured a strong enough metal to make a chain, plus it had two same-sized wheels and a similar frame to today’s bicycles.
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  1920's : Tandems
  The invention of pneumatic tyres by John Boyd Dunlop provided a smoother ride than the previously used hard-rubber tyres encouraging more use of the bicycle for leisure and fun.
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  1940's : Utility Bicycle
  During the war years bicycles became delivery vehicles for many products with the addition of baskets on the front and panniers on both sides at the back.
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  1950's : Racing Bikes
  Racing bicycles became popular and featured dropped handlebars, narrow tyres, numerous gear speeds and a lighter frame.
  
  
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  1970s : Raleigh Chopper
  The Chopper was manufactured by the Raleigh Bicycle Company of Nottingham, England. Its unique design became a cultural icon.
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  1980s : Mountain Bikes
  Spurred on by extreme sports, mountain bikes featured sturdier frames, larger wheels, thicker tyres and flat handlebars.
  
  
  
  
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  1990s : BMXs
  BMX is short for bicycle motocross. It is the sport of racing specially built bicycles on a rough, cross-country course that includes constructed obstacles. BMX wheels are much smaller in than touring or hybrid wheels, and the frame is designed to be very small in relation to the size of the rider.
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  2000s : Racing Bikes
  The new racing bikes are built with new materials like carbon fibre they are much lighter in weight and more aerodynamically designed.
  
  
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  2000s : Mountain Bikes
  The new mountain bikes are again built with new materials that are lighter in weight, with new suspension systems, and wider tyres more suited to the rugged terrain they are used on.
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  2010s : Electric Bikes
  An electric bicycle has an integrated battery and electric motor which is charged whilst pedalling and can be used for propulsion when the terrain becomes harder. Encouraged for city life as alternatives to motor transport.
  

Look at each of the pictures and read the text below each to give you some idea of the development of the bicycle through a Bicycle Timeline.