The Evolution of the Bicycle: History and Art

Notes in Two Series

By Mark Paradox

Series 1. The Bicycle: Milestones in Two Centuries of History

           *I’ve got a bike, you can ride if you like*

           *It’s got a basket, a bell that rings*

           *And things to make it look good…*

                                 *Pink Floyd “BIKE”*

                                    *(Syd Barrett)*

Preface

Can you imagine a bicycle in the form of a wooden scooter without pedals, but with a saddle and handlebars? Or a bicycle integrated into an intelligent transport system, communicating with every type of transport in real time and even removing scratches from its own frame?

These notes explore the bicycle’s 200-year history and its reflection in painting.

1. The Running Machine

A 200-Year Ride Through History

The first bicycle in history was a wooden scooter without pedals, but with a saddle and handlebars. It was called the “Running Machine” and was designed in 1817 by the German inventor Karl Drais. The word “draisine” derives from the name of this German baron. In addition to this early running machine, Drais also invented the typewriter and the meat grinder.

2. The Boneshaker and a 120-Kilometre Race

A 200-Year Ride Through History (Cubism)

Until 1860, the bicycle still had no pedals. Between 1860 and 1863, however, the French carriage-maker Pierre Michaux and his son fitted cranks and pedals to the axle of the front wheel of Drais’s wooden running machine. The wooden construction was replaced by metal, and mass production began under the name “bicycle,” reaching hundreds of units a year.