When Was the First Bicycle Built?

When Was the First Bicycle Built? The bicycle was first built-in 1790. It was simply a wooden bar with a wheel at each end and had no pedals or steering bar. The rider pushed it along with his feet.

It wasn’t until many years later that a steering bar and pedals were added. About a hundred years ago, people rode bicycles called “high-wheelers.”

They had front wheels almost as tall as an adult, but they were hard to get on and easy to tip over. The safety bicycle, with both wheels the same size, appeared in the late 1800’s.

An English inventor named John Kemp Starley came up with a winning idea for a “safety bicycle” in the 1870’s. This bicycle was much more like the kind we ride today. Starley is perhaps best known for his invention of the tangent-spoke wheel in 1874.

At first, bicycles were a relatively expensive hobby, but mass production made the bicycle a practical investment for the working man, who could then ride to his job and back home.

Women, too, started riding in great numbers, which required a dramatic change in ladies’ fashion. Bustles and corsets were out; bloomers were in, as they gave a woman more mobility while allowing her to keep her legs covered with long skirts.

What is the oldest bicycle company? Edoardo Bianchi S.p.A, commonly known as Bianchi ([ˈbjaŋki]) is the world’s oldest bicycle manufacturing company in existence, having pioneered the use of equal-sized wheels with pneumatic rubber tires. The company was founded in Italy in 1885 and in addition to bicycles it produced motorcycles from 1897 to 1967.

Content for this question contributed by Amy Letenore, resident of Ludlow, Hampden County, Massachusetts, USA