article
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2009-04-23T11:28:00-04:00
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<p>Cycling is the use of bicycles, and is considered a HPV, (human powered vehicle). Cycling is done just about anywhere, on roads, paths, trails and tracks.</p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"> </p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Bicycles are the most common version of a cycle and were introduced during the 19th century. There are now close to one billion bicycles throughout the world. Bicycles are the leading forms of transportation in many countries around the world.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">The bicycles name dates back from 1869. There were different forerunners of the bicycle, which were known as Velocipedes. This French name dates back to the late 1700s.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">These earlier two-wheeled vehicles did not have any pedals and were propelled by the rider’s feet. They became popular during the late 1600s.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1690, a Frenchman invented the Celerifere, which consisted of a wooden beam attached to two wheels. This vehicle did not have a handlebar, as the rider would sit on a pillow that was placed on the beam and would move and steer the vehicle by pushing their feet against the ground.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1816, a German nobleman invented the first bicycle like vehicle with a handlebar for steering the device. It was called the Draisine, after him, and had a handlebar that swiveled on the frame, which allowed the front wheel to be turned.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">French, German, Scottish, and British inventors later refined and improved the original bicycles.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> these early bicycles, invented in 1818, were called hobby horses. They were lighter in weight than the Draisine was and had an adjustable seat along with an elbow rest.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1839, Kirkpatrick Macmillan of <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">Scotland</st1:country-region></st1:place> added driving levers and pedals to a bicycle type machine similar to the draisine. These new developments allowed the rider to drive the machine with their feet off the ground. The driving mechanism were basically short cranks connected to the rear wheel and linked together by rods and levers, which were hinged to the frame near the front of the machine.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1846, a Scotsman improved this machine, and it attained the name Dalsell. This machine was used extensively throughout <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">The direct descendant of today’s bicycle was the French Velocipede, which became a crowd pleaser in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">France</st1:country-region></st1:place> about 1855. The frame and wheels of the machine were made of wood, and the tires were made of iron. The pedals were connected to the hub of the front wheel. The front wheel was a little bit higher than the rear wheel.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place>, this machine was called the Boneshaker, because it would shake the rider’s bones while pedaling over the rough roads and cobblestone streets of the area.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1869, solid rubber tires that were mounted on steel rims were introduced in <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">England</st1:country-region></st1:place> and was the first machine to be patented as the bicycle.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1873, an English inventor named Jamse Starley, invented the first machine incorporating most of the features of the high-wheel bicycle. The front wheel of Starley's machine was more then three times as large as the rear wheel.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">The enormous vibration and imbalance of the high-wheel bicycle, sparked inventors to turn their thoughts to reducing the height of the bicycle. Somewhere around 1880, the low machine was invented. The wheels were about the same size, the pedals were attached to a sprocket with gears and a chain, and it propelled the rear wheel instead of the front one.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">During the next fifteen years, modifications and improvements of the bicycle included the ball bearing and the pneumatic tire. These inventions, along with the use of steel tubing and spring seats, brought the bicycle to its maximum point of development.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>, manufacturers endorsed the safety bicycle. The much improved safety bicycle had wheels and tires of equal size, hollow steel tubing, coaster brakes, adjustable handlebars, along with other significant improvements.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">American cyclists grew in numbers and they became strong benefactors of a nationwide campaign for improved roads.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">In 1899, with a valve of more then $31 million, the American production of bicycles was at approximately 1 million a year. However, by 1909, the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place> bicycle industry was nearly nonexistent with the rise of the motorcycle and the automobile.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><span> </span></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">With air pollution from automobile exhaust causing great concern during the 1960s and'70s, along with the energy crisis at the time, the bicycles popularity increased tremendously.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Special bicycle lanes and special bike paths were developed throughout the country. In the 1970s and '80s, a big boom on physical fitness just increased this popularity. By the middle of the 1980s, an estimated 82 million bicycles were in use in the <st1:place w:st="on"><st1:country-region w:st="on">United States</st1:country-region></st1:place>.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">The most popular bicycle was the lightweight ten-speed touring bike, which was designed with the European racing model bicycles in mind. The all-terrain bike, for off road use with its waffle-tread tires along with a heavier frame, was a rugged and more maneuverable bike then the popular ten-speed version.</p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">It would not be at all strange if history came to the conclusion that the perfection of the bicycle was the greatest incident of the nineteenth century. ~<i>Author unknown. <o:p></o:p></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><i><o:p> </o:p></i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">The bicycle is the most civilized conveyance known to man. Other forms of transport grow daily more nightmarish. Only the bicycle remains pure in heart. ~<i>Iris Murdoch</i></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> Photo Credit: Franck Faugere / DPPI / Icon SMI</o:p></p>
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2009-04-23T11:28:00-04:00
i-want-to-ride-my-bicycle
No
Yes
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I Want To Ride My Bicycle!
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I Want To Ride My Bicycle!
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