bicycle

Introduction
History of the bicycle
- Bicycle predecessors
  - Draisiennes, hobby-horses, and other velocipedes
  - Treadles and pedals: powered velocipedes
  - From boneshakers to bicycles
- The ordinary bicycle
- The safety bicycle
- The modern bicycle
Bicycle design
- Basic types
- Basic components
  - Frame
  - Wheels
  - Drivetrain
  - Brakes

References & Edit History Quick Facts & Related Topics

Images & Videos

An African American family of four, all wearing helmets, rides bicycles together on a tree-lined country trail, with two children in front and two adults following behind.

Diagram of a modern 10-speed bicycle with labeled parts, including the saddle, handlebars, brakes, gears, chain, pedals, wheels, frame tubes, and reflectors.

Trace the history of bicycles, the designs, the boom in the cycling industry, and how racing became an integral part

At a Glance

bicycle summary

Quizzes

Alberto Santos-Dumont. Postcard of Brazilian aviator Alberto Santos-Dumont's (1873-1932) airship or dirigible and Eiffel Tower. The Santos Dumont Air-Ship rounding the Eiffel Tower; on Octoboer 19th 1901. airplane

A History of Everyday Technology in 68 Quiz Questions

Related Questions

How are BMX bicycles different from mountain bikes?
How are hybrid bicycles designed for urban commuting?
How are touring bicycles different from road-racing bicycles?
How did John Boyd Dunlop's pneumatic tire make bicycles more practical?
How did World War II help create an adult bicycle market in the United States?
How did ball bearings and tension-spoked wheels improve early bicycles?
How did cycling change social life for women during the late 1800s?
How did mountain bikes become popular during the 1970s and 1980s?
How did multiple-speed gears improve bicycles after 1900?
How do bicycle paths encourage people to use bicycles for transportation?
How do different sprocket and chainwheel sizes change a bicycle's gear ratio?
How do front and rear derailleurs move the chain between gears?
How do mountain bike tires provide traction on rough trails?
How does a derailleur change gears on a bicycle?
How does a recumbent bicycle position its rider?
How does a standard bicycle transfer pedaling power to the rear wheel?
How does an electric bicycle use a battery and motor to assist pedaling?
How is a diamond bicycle frame constructed from two triangles?
What are the six main categories of present-day bicycles?
What bicycle parts are held by the bottom bracket?
What features make a utility bicycle durable and easy to maintain?
What is the difference between an internal hub gear and a derailleur gear?
What made the ordinary bicycle faster than earlier pedal velocipedes?
What materials are used to make bicycle frames?
What was the Schwinn Stingray bicycle trend of the 1960s?
Which countries have encouraged bicycle commuting and shopping trips?
Why did bicycles become less popular among American adults during the 1920s?
Why did changes in women's cycling clothes cause controversy in the 1800s?
Why did early pedal velocipedes earn the nickname boneshakers?
Why do historians disagree about who invented the bicycle?
Why do many mountain bikes have suspension systems?
Why do track-racing bicycles use a single fixed gear?
Why do tricycles provide more stability than standard bicycles?
Why does a rear derailleur need a spring-loaded pulley?
Why is Pierre Lallement associated with the early pedal-powered velocipede?
Why was riding an ordinary bicycle dangerous?
Why was the ordinary bicycle also called a penny-farthing?
Why were early mountain bikes called clunkers?
What is the principle of helicopter flight?
How is a helicopter different from an airplane?
What is the history of the development of helicopters?
What is the U.S. Navy’s “gender neutral” submarine?

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External Websites

IOPscience - IOP Conference Series: Materials Science and Engineering - Review on various design aspects of the modern bicycle
ABC listen - Blueprint for Living - Colin Bisset's Iconic designs: design history of the bicycle
Smithsonian - The Development of the Velocipede
National Center for Biotechnology Information - PubMed Central - Integrating Equity Into Bicycle Infrastructure, Planning, and Programming: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Implementation Among Participants in the Bicycle Friendly Community Program
International Journal of Scientific Research in Science and Technology - Electric Bicycle
Federal Highway Administration - General Highway History - The Bicycle Revolution
University of Arizona News - Four Questions: History of the Bicycle
LiveScience - Who Invented the Bicycle?

Britannica Websites

Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.

bicycle - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11)
bicycle - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)

bicycle

vehicle

Also known as: bike

Written by

Frank J. Berto

Bicycle engineer, historian, and author. Books include Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Derailleur Bicycle and The Birth of Dirt: Origins of Mountain Biking.

Frank J. Berto

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree....

Britannica Editors

Last updated

Oct. 23, 2026 •History

bicycle, two-wheeled steerable machine that is pedaled by the rider’s feet. On a standard bicycle the wheels are mounted in-line in a metal frame, with the front wheel held in a rotatable fork. The rider sits on a saddle and steers by leaning and turning handlebars that are attached to the fork. The feet turn pedals attached to cranks and a chainwheel. Power is transmitted by a loop of chain connecting the chainwheel to a...

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