Preceden

History of Bicycles Timeline

(1817 - Present)

The history of bicycles traces the evolution of human-powered two-wheeled transportation from Karl von Drais's 1817 running machine through the pedal-driven velocipedes of the 1860s, the high-wheel penny-farthings, and the safety bicycle of the 1880s, to today's lightweight, multi-speed, and electric bicycles that remain vital for transport, sport, and recreation worldwide. Less

Go to: Timeline | Event List | Key Facts | Directory

Early Precursors

Stephan Farffler builds hand-cranked tricycle

1655

A three-wheeled wheelchair powered by hand cranks was built in either 1655 or 1680 by a disabled German man, Stephan Farffler, who wanted to be able to maintain his mobility.

Image source: History of the bicycle

Stephan Farffler builds hand-cranked tricycle

Rikushu-honsha pedal tricycle described in Japan

1732

In Japan, a pedal-powered tricycle called Rikushu-honsha was described by Hiraishi Kuheiji Tokimitsu (1696-1771) in 1732, with the record currently owned by the Hikone Public Library, Hikone.

Legend of Comte de Sivrac's célérifère

1792

An unverified contention holds that a certain 'Comte de Sivrac' developed a célérifère in 1792, demonstrating it at the Palais-Royal in France. It is now thought that the two-wheeled célérifère never existed and was instead a misinterpretation by French journalist Louis Baudry de Saunier in 1891.

Image source: History of the bicycle

Legend of Comte de Sivrac's célérifère

Drais invents the Laufmaschine (Draisine)

1817

Karl von Drais invented his Laufmaschine ('running machine') in 1817, called the Draisine or draisienne by the press. His interest was likely spurred by the starvation and death of horses caused by crop failure in 1816, the Year Without a Summer following the eruption of Tambora in 1815.

Image source: Draisine

Drais invents the Laufmaschine (Draisine)

Von Drais introduces the draisine to the public

1817 - 1818

Von Drais introduced his invention to the public in Mannheim in 1817 and in Paris in 1818, attracting widespread attention across Europe.

Drais's first reported ride from Mannheim

Jun 12, 1817

On his first reported ride from Mannheim on June 12, 1817, Karl von Drais covered 13 km (eight miles) in less than an hour, demonstrating the potential of his running machine.

Denis Johnson announces improved hobby-horse

1818

The concept was picked up by a number of British cartwrights; the most notable was Denis Johnson of London, who announced in late 1818 that he would sell an improved model of the draisine.

Image source: Hobby horse (toy)

Denis Johnson announces improved hobby-horse

Drais patents his velocipede design

1818

Drais patented his design in 1818, creating the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable, human-propelled machine, commonly called a velocipede and nicknamed hobby-horse or dandy horse.

The Kaleidoscope praises improved draisine

1829

An 1829 article in The Kaleidoscope described an improved version as a cheap and useful machine that could help a rider cover long distances with less fatigue than walking.

Velocipede Era

Possible MacMillan mechanically propelled bicycle

1839

The first mechanically propelled, two-wheeled vehicle may have been built by Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, in 1839, although this claim is often disputed.

Image source: Kirkpatrick Macmillan

Possible MacMillan mechanically propelled bicycle

First recorded cycling traffic offense

1842

MacMillan is also associated with the first recorded instance of a cycling traffic offense: a Glasgow newspaper in 1842 reported an accident in which an anonymous 'gentleman from Dumfries-shire... of ingenious design' knocked over a little girl in Glasgow and was fined five shillings.

Gavin Dalzell produces a bicycle

1845

A bicycle is said to have been produced by Gavin Dalzell of Lesmahagow around 1845, one of several early claims about two-wheeled machines in Scotland.

Philipp Moritz Fischer invents the pedal crank

1853

Philipp Moritz Fischer, who used the draisine to get to school from the age of 9, invented the pedal crank in 1853. He built the very first bicycle with pedals but did not make the invention public; the Tretkurbelfahrrad from 1853 survives on display in the municipality museum in Schweinfurt.

Lallement creates the pedal bicycle in Paris

1863

Herlihy documents that Pierre Lallement claimed to have created the pedal bicycle in Paris in 1863. He had seen someone riding a draisine in 1862 and came up with the idea to add pedals to it. The earliest year bicycle historians agree on for attaching pedals to the front wheel is 1864.

Image source: Pierre Lallement

Lallement creates the pedal bicycle in Paris

Paris-to-Avignon velocipede journey

1865

In 1865, Michaux associates travelled from Paris to Avignon on a velocipede in only eight days, demonstrating the machine's practicality for long-distance travel.

Image source: Velocipede

Paris-to-Avignon velocipede journey

Bin Chun observes foot-pushed velocipedes in Paris

1866

In 1866 Paris, a Chinese visitor named Bin Chun could still observe foot-pushed velocipedes, showing that pedal-powered designs had not yet fully displaced the earlier draisine-style machines.

Lallement patents pedal bicycle in the US

1866

Lallement filed the earliest and only patent for a pedal-driven bicycle in the US in 1866. He had left Paris in July 1865, crossed the Atlantic, settled in Connecticut, and patented the velocipede, after which associated inventions and patents soared in America.

Rowley Turner brings a Michaux cycle to Coventry

1868

In 1868, Rowley Turner, a sales agent of the Coventry Sewing Machine Company (which soon became the Coventry Machinists Company), brought a Michaux cycle to Coventry, England, launching the British bicycle industry.

Velocipede craze sweeps both sides of the Atlantic

1868 - 1870

Initially developed around 1863, the pedal velocipede sparked a fashionable craze briefly during 1868–70. The popularity of the machine grew on both sides of the Atlantic, and by 1868–69 the craze was strong even in rural areas.

Michaux et Cie partnership formed

1868

Together with their friend Georges de la Bouglise, the Olivier brothers formed a partnership with Pierre Michaux, Michaux et Cie, in 1868, avoiding use of the Olivier family name lest the venture prove a failure. The company dominated the industry in its first years.

Thomas McCall's rod-driven velocipede

1869

Several inventions followed using rear-wheel drive, the best known being the rod-driven velocipede by Scotsman Thomas McCall in 1869. McCall of Kilmarnock was also the first documented producer of rod-driven treadle bicycles.

William Van Anden invents the freewheel

1869

In 1869, William Van Anden of Poughkeepsie, New York, USA, invented the freewheel for the bicycle, allowing riders to coast without pedaling.

Image source: Freewheel

William Van Anden invents the freewheel

Safety Bicycle & Innovation

Meyer invents the wire-spoke tension wheel

1869

Meyer invented the wire-spoke tension wheel in 1869 and produced a classic high bicycle design until the 1880s, contributing key technology to the high-wheel era.

Image source: Penny-farthing

Meyer invents the wire-spoke tension wheel

High-wheel bicycles gain popularity in France

1875

By 1875, high-wheel bicycles were becoming popular in France, though ridership expanded slowly among the general public.

Image source: Penny-farthing

High-wheel bicycles gain popularity in France

Hughes' patent for improved bicycle bearings

1877

In 1877, Joseph Henry Hughes' provisional patent application was allowed, titled 'Improvements in the bearings of bicycles and velocipedes or carriages', advancing bearing technology.

Bicycle Touring Club founded

1878

Among the earliest cycling clubs was The Bicycle Touring Club, which has operated since 1878, helping popularize recreational cycling.

Image source: Cycling UK

Bicycle Touring Club founded

Albert Pope begins Columbia production in the US

1878

Bostonians such as Frank Weston started importing bicycles in 1877 and 1878, and Albert Augustus Pope started production of his 'Columbia' high-wheelers in 1878, gaining control of nearly all applicable patents, starting with Lallement's 1866 patent.

Image source: Pope Manufacturing Company

Albert Pope begins Columbia production in the US

Lawson's rear-chain-drive 'bicyclette'

1879

Harry John Lawson invented a rear-chain-drive bicycle in 1879 with his 'bicyclette', though it still had a huge front wheel and a small rear wheel, limiting its success.

Image source: Harry John Lawson

Lawson's rear-chain-drive 'bicyclette'

Starley's Rover safety bicycle

1885

John Kemp Starley produced the first successful 'safety bicycle', the 'Rover', in 1885, which he never patented. Starley's 1885 Rover, manufactured in Coventry, is usually described as the first recognizably modern bicycle.

Image source: Rover Company

Starley's Rover safety bicycle

Safety bicycle replaces the high-wheeler

1885 - 1890

Widely imitated, the safety bicycle completely replaced the high-wheeler in North America and Western Europe by 1890, establishing the modern bicycle form.

Image source: Safety bicycle

Safety bicycle replaces the high-wheeler

Dunlop introduces the pneumatic tire

1888

In 1888, Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop introduced the first practical pneumatic tire, which soon became universal and made for a much smoother ride on paved streets.

Image source: John Boyd Dunlop

Dunlop introduces the pneumatic tire

Raleigh Bicycle Company founded

1888

The Raleigh Bicycle Company was founded in Nottingham, England in 1888, becoming one of the world's most influential bicycle manufacturers.

Image source: Raleigh Bicycle Company

Raleigh Bicycle Company founded

Willie Hume demonstrates Dunlop's tires

1889

Willie Hume demonstrated the supremacy of Dunlop's tyres in 1889, winning the tyre's first-ever races in Ireland and then England.

Svea Velocipede introduced in Sweden

1892

The Svea Velocipede with vertical pedal arrangement and locking hubs was introduced in 1892 by the Swedish engineers Fredrik Ljungström and Birger Ljungström.

Image source: Svea Velocipede

Svea Velocipede introduced in Sweden

Recumbent bicycle invented

1893

The recumbent bicycle was invented in 1893, offering an alternative riding position that would later prove aerodynamically superior.

Image source: Recumbent bicycle

Recumbent bicycle invented

British bikes dominate the Dutch market

1895

In 1895, 85 percent of all bikes bought in the Netherlands were from Britain; the vestiges of that influence can still be seen in the solid shape of a traditional Dutch bike today.

Image source: Roadster (bicycle)

British bikes dominate the Dutch market

First electric bicycle built by Hosea W

1897

Most likely the first electric bicycle was built in 1897 by Hosea W., an early experiment in motor-assisted cycling.

Image source: Electric bicycle

First electric bicycle built by Hosea W

Isaac R Johnson patents folding bicycle frame

Oct 10, 1899

On 10 October 1899, Isaac R Johnson, an African-American inventor, lodged his patent for a folding bicycle – the first with a recognisably modern diamond frame, the pattern still used in 21st-century bicycles.

20th Century & Modern Era

Derailleur developed in France

1900 - 1910

The derailleur developed in France between 1900 and 1910 among cyclotourists, and was improved over time, eventually transforming bicycle gearing.

Image source: Derailleur

Derailleur developed in France

Cycling clubs flourish across the Atlantic

1900

By the turn of the century, cycling clubs flourished on both sides of the Atlantic, and touring and racing became widely popular pastimes.

UCI bans recumbent bicycles from racing

1934

In 1934, the Union Cycliste Internationale banned recumbent bicycles from all officially sanctioned racing, at the behest of the conventional bicycle industry, after Francis Faure beat world champion Henri Lemoine and broke Oscar Egg's hour record while riding Mochet's Velocar.

41 bicycle companies mobilized

Sep 1939

By September 1939, there were 41 bicycle companies mobilized, reflecting the industry's scale as World War II began.

Adult cycling boom in the United States

1960 - 1975

Sales of adult bicycles doubled between 1960 and 1970, and doubled again between 1971 and 1975, the peak years of the adult cycling boom in the United States, eventually reaching nearly 17 million units.

On Any Sunday inspires off-road movement

1971

The 1971 motorcycle racing documentary On Any Sunday is generally credited with inspiring the off-road cycling movement nationally in the US.

Image source: On Any Sunday

On Any Sunday inspires off-road movement

Fatbike invented for off-road usage

1980

The Fatbike was invented for off-road usage in 1980, featuring oversized tires for riding on soft terrain like snow and sand.

Image source: Fatbike

Fatbike invented for off-road usage

Derailleur bikes dominate North American market

1980

By 1980, racing and sport/touring derailleur bikes dominated the market in North America, reflecting decades of gearing innovation.

First mass-produced mountain bike appears

1981

In 1981, the first mass-produced mountain bike appeared, intended for use off-pavement over a variety of surfaces, launching a global phenomenon.

Image source: Mountain bike

First mass-produced mountain bike appears

UK roadster sales collapse amid record bicycle sales

1990

By 1990, the roadster was almost dead; while annual UK bicycle sales reached an all-time record of 2.8 million, almost all of them were mountain and road/sport models.

Over 1 billion bicycles manufactured worldwide

2000

More than 1 billion bicycles had been manufactured worldwide by the early 21st century, making the bicycle one of the most successful human inventions ever. The 21st century has seen continued application of technology to bicycles in designing, building, and using them.

Whittingham sets human powered speed record

2009

Sam Whittingham set a human powered speed record of 132 km/h (82 mph) on level ground in a faired recumbent streamliner in 2009 at Battle Mountain.

Key Facts

  1. Karl von Drais invented the 'laufmaschine' (running machine) in 1817, the first two-wheeled, human-propelled vehicle and precursor to the bicycle.
  2. Pedals were added to the front wheel in the 1860s, creating the velocipede or 'boneshaker,' the first commercially successful bicycle.
  3. The penny-farthing, with its huge front wheel, dominated the 1870s but was dangerous due to its high center of gravity.
  4. The safety bicycle, introduced by John Kemp Starley in 1885, featured equal-sized wheels and a chain drive, establishing the modern bicycle design.
  5. John Boyd Dunlop's pneumatic tires (1888) greatly improved comfort and speed, helping spark a global bicycling boom.

Source

This History of Bicycles timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

We work hard to keep these timelines accurate, but mistakes do get through. If you spot one, email us at [email protected] and we'll fix it for future visitors.

Want a timeline like this one?

Generate yours with AI or build it from scratch, for free.

Try It for Free