History
The first traces of the modern bicycle, can be found in the drawings of Leonardo da Vinci in 1540. But, it may surprise you to learn that the humble bicycle as we know it was invented only several years after the railway locomotive! The two-wheeler, has mutated a lot since the day it was invented by the Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan in 1839.
MacMillan built his bike from an older vehicle called a “hobby horse”, this was a wooden horse with two wheels. The rider sat on the horse and pushed the vehicle using his feet. It was not very fast or safe, it didn’t have any steering or brakes.
Mad Pate
MacMillan was also known as Mad Pate, probably because he was very eccentric and often had crazy ideas. One of his crazy ideas, was to modify a hobby horse by adding a system of push bars. The rider could push the bars back and forwards with his feet, to make the rear wheel go round. The rider could also steer the bike because the front wheel could be turned. To validate his invention, Mad Pate cycled 60 miles all the way to Glasgow. The journey must have been very difficult and extremely uncomfortable, due to the fact the roads at the time, were not in very good condition. Furthermore, the cycle didn’t have tires or suspensions.
The Modern Bicycle
Unfortunately Mad Pate invention wasn’t not recognised at the time. It took another twenty-five years, before a Frenchman called Pierre Lallemant, invented the forefather of the modern bicycle with rotary pedals.