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Description: | The velocipede, meaning 'fast feet' was first developed in the mid-nineteenth century by a Frenchman by the name of Michaux, and was the next step in bicycle design from the 'Swift Walker' or 'Hobby Horse', in that the feet were completely free of the ground.They were also the first bicycles to be mass produced and popularised. As the name suggests, it was capable of great speeds, being ridden using the pedals mounted on the axle of the front wheel.It was not nicknamed 'Boneshaker' for nothing - the early velocipedes had wooden tyres and unpadded saddles giving a very bumpy ride indeed! It wasn't until 1888 when the pneumatic was invented that they became more comfortable to ride.
Boneshaker or Velocipede bicycle and newspaper cutting showing Mr William Smith seated on the boneshaker. | License: | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/uk/ | Publisher: | Wolverhampton Arts and Museums Service | Rights holder: | Wolverhampton Arts and Museums Service | Subjects: | Bicycles Black Country Miscellaneous Historical Objects Bicycle industry Wolverhampton Victorian period | Temporal: | 1871
Victorian (1837-1901) | Source: | Black Country History | Creator: | Hughes, George and Sons | Identifier: | http://www.blackcountryhistory.org/colle... | Go to resource |
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