The Bicycle
The Colored Bike
I loved to ride my bicycle when I was a younster. I remember that it was rough to learn to ride it at that time. The bicycles were not equipped like today's with a pair of small wheels in the rear to protect you from falling or getting injured. Usually, with a real short time to learn or to quit forever, if you were afraid of it. I had no problems learning but I wanted to make all kinds of tricks and that was the bad part of it because I resulted injured a couple of times. Thanks to God I never broke my bones. Today I still have a 12-shift running bike.
Description of a Bike
Bicycle, vehicle consisting of two wheels in tandem to a frame, steered by handlebars, and propelled by an arrangement of pedals and gears driven by the feet.
Modifications and Improvements The modifications and improvements of the next 15 years included the ball bearing and the pneumatic tire. These inventions, along with the use of weldless steel tubing and spring seats, brought the ordinary bicycle to its highest point of development. The excessive vibration and inestability of the high-wheel bicycle, however, caused inventors to turn their attention to reducing the weight of the bicycle. About 1880 the so-called safety, or low, machine was developed. The wheels were of nearly equal size, and the pedals, attached to a sprocket through gears and a chain, drove the rear wheel.
Adoption of the Bike
The safety bicycle was universally adopted by manufacturers in the United States. The Improved safety machine had wheels of equal size, hollow steel tubing, coaster brakes, adjustable handlebars, and other improvements. American cyclists increased greatly in numbers and became strong supporters of a nationwide movement for improved roads. Yet by 1909, with the rise of the motorcycle and automobile, the U.S. bicycle industry was nearly nonexistent. Today we still can owned and ride a bicycle.
The Bike as a Transportation Vehicle
In the 1960s and '70s, as air pollution from automobile exhaust caused a great concern, and the energy crisis worsened, the popularity of the bicycle increased tremendously. Some areas set up bike lanes and special bike paths. An emphasis on physical fitness in the 1970s and '80s added to this popularity, and an estimated 82 million bicycles were in use in the U.S.
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Last Updated: December 4, 2006