Bikes - An Illustrated History

The next stage of bicycle development came with the creation of the safety bicycle, which transformed the bicycle from a dangerous contraption limited to the realm of reckless young men to a reliable and comfortable device that could be safely used by people of all ages for everyday transportation.

Recognizing the design limitations of the high-wheeler bicycles, tinkerers continually looked for ways to improve the bike's basic form. A major breakthrough came in 1885 with John Kemp Starley's the creation of (or maybe "return to" is more accurate) a bike design that featured a rider perched much lower between two wheels of the same size, coupled with a sprocket and chain system that drove the bike from the rear wheel. This was the same basic "diamond frame" design still in use in today's bikes.

When Starley's new design was coupled with inflated rubber tires that ended the jolting and painful ride inflicted on cyclists when hard rubber tires were the norm, suddenly cycling was safe and fun again. Plus, the price of bicycles were dropping continually as manufacturing methods improved.

All these factors combined to create the golden age of cycling. People rode them for practical means and for leisure. It was transportation and recreation all wrapped up in one package. The number and influence of cycling grew so rapidly in the 1880s and 1890s that they formed groups like the League of American Wheelman (now called the League of American Bicyclists), to lobby for better roads in the days before automobiles were common.