History of the Bike - Speech Example

Introduction

Have you ever wondered how the first bike looked like? Or maybe how it was peddled, or who is this man who took his time and energy to come up with this type of a locomotive? The bike has a history that dates back in the early 19th century. Through the years, the nature of the bike has evolved in shape, appearance, and efficiency. Up to date, Bicycles were for different purposes. As you walk around, you notice people using bikes for different purposes. These purposes range from leisure, bike racing and for commercial uses. 300 years back, bikes were more of toys for the nobles. Before we can discuss the revolution of the bike, let's see who is the man behind the idea of the first bike.

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The first man to invent a bike was a Germany inventor Barn Karl von Drais. (Mancone 2008). Though he worked in forestry, Barn was interested in horseless travel. From 1812 to 1815, Europe faced poor harvests. Then there were the wars that had coursed starvation due to granary raids by soldiers. Then to add some salt on the sore, the eruption of Mount Tambora in 1815 that made the weather change. This year never saw the summer. This caused people to turn to consumption of horses. So there was a shortage of horse transport. At this point, you could imagine if, in the present day, we see a lack of gas to fuel our vehicles. Someone somewhere will undoubtedly come up with a way that the cars could run. Maybe they could even use water. Barn, therefore, decided to invent a way to travel without the horse and thereby coming up with the bike.

The first bike was peddled by walking, and it was not that efficient. Imagine sitting on a bike and hanging your legs from the frame and walking. For me, it could not have worked. This bike was called the Boneshaker (Mancone, 2008). The combination of metal and wood made this bike. The use of the wood created the frame, and the tires were metal. It had two big tires which were the same size. The peddles were fixed on the front tire. You would peddle directly from the tire as it acted as a single fixed gear. This ride was considered very uncomfortable due to the metal tires which did not absorb any shock, especially when driving through rough roads. This uncomfortable nature of the bike leads to the name the boneshaker.

After the boneshaker, was the high wheelers. This was invented in the 1870s. It was the first all-metal bike. And the first to acquire the name bicycle. It had a big wheel and another small wheel. It had a metal frame a rubber tires. The rubber tires made this bike more comfortable than the boneshakers. With a single rotation, the bike could travel further compared to the previous bikes.

Then there were the three-wheeled bicycles that were invented in 1888. During this time, people wanted a big wheel for high speeds. This lead Boyd Dunlop to create the rubber wheels that were used in the three-wheelers. These big rubber wheels were used in the three-wheeled bicycle. These tires provided a smooth ride and more comfortable.

What we enjoy today was invented in the 1890s, the modern bikes started emerging. These were more safe and comfortable than the others. It was made up of two wheels which were the same size. (Friss, 2017).. A gear peddled the bicycle at the middle of the frame that was connected by a chain drive to the rare hoop. This bike had steering that controlled the direction of the front wheel. This bike has improved through the recent years.

Today, cycling sport has become famous throughout the world. Have you ever wondered how it started? Well, Let me enlighten you. Cycling officially becomes like a sport in May 31st, 1868 in Paris. The race was 1.2 KM long. This activity took place from the fountains and ended at the Saint Cloud Park. (Bacon, 2014). The winner was English man by the name James Moore, an 18-year-old expatriate.

At this age, the bike has been made more efficient and reliable. Innovations have made the bike is now more light. This makes the rider move at a reasonable speed and maintains control. It is also more comfortable as compared to the first bike. The rider can change the speed and gears in motion, and it has incorporated a logical structure making it even more easy to control hence more safe. The bikes are now in categories. We have the road bikes, mountain bikes, fixed gear bikes, and the folded bikes.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I can say that bikes have revolutionized from being toys to a mode of transport and later to a sport. Therefore is right to conclude that the bike is a big deal in the human history.

References

Bacon, E. (2014). Great British cycling: The history of British bike racing. Random House.Bicycle history. Evolution of Cycling and Cycle Sport. Retrieved from http://www.bicyclehistory.net/cycling/history-of-cycling/

Friss, E. (2017). Old Wheelways: Traces of Bicycle History on the Land by Robert L. McCullough. In Buildings & Landscapes: Journal of the Vernacular Architecture Forum(Vol. 24, No. 2, pp. 101-102). University of Minnesota Press.

Mancone, M. (2008). The History of Bicycles. Retrieved from http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/Fall08/Mancone/history.html