A bicycle is a two wheeled vehicle driven by the riders feet pushing on cranks or pedals. A common misconception is that the earliest form of bicycle was the dandy-horse, which was pushed along by the rider's feet. However, while both the dandy-horse and the later bicycle are both velocipedes, the dandy-horse is not propelled by cranks.
The first bicycle was introduced to England from France in 1868, and comprised two solid wheels of equal size fitted to a frame, much like a modern bicycle in appearance, with a saddle fitted in the centre and propelled by cranks attached to the front wheel. This vehicle provided such a bumpy ride to the rider that it became popularly known as 'the bone-shaker'. Later came the Penny-Farthing with pedals fixed to the large front wheel which was made large to achieve high speeds. Later still, around 1895, came the safety bicycle with pedals driving the rear wheel by way of a chain, and the rider sitting upon a saddle set back from the front wheel so as to reduce the chances of falling forwards over the handlebars, from this developed the Raleigh bicycle design of 1900 which forms the basis of the modern bicycle. In 1888 the two-person tandem bicycle was invented.
In 1906 it was reported that speeds of 50 mph were attained on a bicycle. Around the same time, slightly earlier, the motorised bicycle (motorcycle or motorbike) was invented.
A typical bicycle is comprised of several parts. The principal and essential being: the frame, front forks, wheels, pedals, saddle, handlebars, chain and brakes. The largest part of the bicycle is the frame, and these vary in design depending upon the specialised intention of the bicycle.
A frame for a BMX bicycle being small, heavily braced and made of aluminium. The frame for BMX xyxling needs to be strong so as to endure the stresses of the bumpy ride, and the saddle low as competitors never sit down during a competition and as such they need space to sprint and jump with ease.
Cross-Country cycle frames are generally made of aluminium and carbon-fibre so as to be light weight. They are relatively small frames to allow quick and easy mounting and dismounting off road, and strong to endure off-road bumpy conditions. The smaller frames are often compensated for by having a longer seat post to allow a normal height saddle position.
The cycle speedway bicycle frame is designed primarily for strength, and as such is typically made from steel or aluminium.
Road racing bicycle frames are designed to be light and stiff. Traditionally they ewre made of steel, but by the start of the 21st century carbon fibre was being used for the more expensive models as this offered the same stiffness at reduced weight. The design of the tubes also developed over time, tubes becoming of a larger diameter, but thinner walls, to allow the same stiffness with reduced weight.
Bicycles are fitted with various types of brake, the most popular being the calliper, cantilever, hydraulic or disc and the V brake. The most common form of brake found on leisure bicycles, is that form used also on road racing bicycles. The calliper brake. Calliper brakes are a very efficient means of rim braking and basically comprise two blocks of rubber or plastic which are squeezed onto the wheel rim when the brake lever is squeezed by the ride.
Cantilever brakes operate on the same principal as calliper brakes, but are of a slightly different design at the wheel end, offering increased clearance between the tyre and the brakepads and as such are frequently employed for cyclo-cross bicycles and mountain bikes.
The most efficient form of rim brake is the V brake. The V brake also offers the most clearance of any rim braking system, and is most often found on mountain bikes.
Hydraulic or disc brakes are the most efficient and powerful form of bicycle brake. They use the wheel hub to brake, rather than the rim. Disc brakes offer the most clearance, and as such are used on mountain bikes, but are also expensive to fit and maintain.
Bicycle wheels are generally of one of three types. The most common and traitional bicycle wheel is the spoked wheel, comprising a rim connected to the central bub by a series of thin metal rods known as spokes. Spoked wheels are light in weight. Less common than spoked wheels, but offering greater strength and durability at the expense of weight are mag wheels which comprise a rim attached to the hub by a few, thick solid plastic bars. Solid wheels, also known as disc wheels, are made from composite material or carbon fibre are very strong, stiff, aerodynamic and very expensive. They are rarely used except as rear wheels in time-trialing and track racing. Research Bicycle More pictures of Bicycle
A buck-rider was a dummy-fare who enabled a cabman to pass police-constables who prevented empty cabs from loitering at places where they were likely to be required, such as theatres and music-halls, and large hotels. A cabman who wanted to get at such a place under hope of picking up a fare would pay a person known as a 'buck', a shilling to get into his cab so that he might appear to be carrying a fare and so pass the police. Research Buck-Rider
Chariot is a term applied to horse-drawn vehicles used both for pleasure and in war. Ancient chariots, such as those used among the Egyptians, Assyrians, Greeks, and Romans, were of various forms. A common form was open behind and closed in front, and had only two wheels.
The chariot was strongly and even elegantly built, but not well adapted for speed. In ancient warfare chariots were of great importance; thus we read of the 900 iron chariots of Sisera, as giving him a great advantage against the Israelites. The Philistines in their war against Saul had 30,000 chariots.
The sculptures of ancient Egypt show that the chariots formed the strength of the Egyptian army, these vehicles being two - horsed and carrying the driver and the warrior, sometimes a third man, the shield-bearer. There is no representation of Egyptian soldiers on horseback, and consequently when Moses in his song of triumph over Pharaoh speaks of the horse and his rider, rider must be understood to mean chariot-rider. In the Egyptian chariots the framework, wheels, pole, and yoke were of wood, and the fittings of the inside, the bindings of the framework, as well as the harness were chiefly of raw hide or of tanned leather.
We have also numbers of sculptures which give a clear idea of the Assyrian chariots. These resembled the Egyptian in all essential features, containing almost invariably three men - the warrior, the shield-bearer, and the charioteer. A peculiarity of both is the quiver or quivers full of arrows attached to the side. The Assyrian war-chariot was drawn by three horses abreast, and all the appointments were rich and elaborate. It had two quivers crossing each other on the side, filled with arrows, and each also containing a small axe. A socket for holding the spear was also attached. From the front of the chariot a singular ornamental appendage stretched forward.
War-chariots had sometimes scythe-like weapons attached to each extremity of the axle, as among the ancient Persians and Britons. Among the Greeks and Romans chariot-races were common.
In Britain the name chariot was formerly given to a kind of light travelling carriage. Research Chariot
The dandy-horse was an early velocipede or cycle. It resembled a bicycle, but hadn't any pedals and so the rider propelled it by pushing it along with his feet on the ground. Research Dandy-Horse
In American politics, a rider is an objectionable party measure, likely to be vetoed on its own merits, which is added to an important bill so as to secure its passage. The first use of the rider, of national importance, was the joining in 1820 of the bill for the admission of Maine to that permitting slavery in Missouri, so as to compel the acceptance of both or neither. These were afterward separated. The Army Appropriation Bill of 1856 had a rider attached prohibiting the
employment of Federal troops for the enforcement of territorial law in Kansas. The President signed this measure, but protested against the rider. In 1879 the Democrats in Congress attempted by riders on appropriation bills to bring to an end the Federal interference in Southern politics. President Hayes, by firm use of the veto, dealt a severe blow at this objectionable practice. State Constitutions have frequently prevented it by allowing the Governor to veto separate items in appropriation bills. Research Rider
A saddle is a contrivance of wood and leather securely bound with a girth or leather straps to the back of a horse, to serve as a seat for the rider or to carry the weight of the shafts of a vehicle. Other forms of saddle are used for other animals, such as camels and oxen. The seat of a bicycle and motorcycle is also called a saddle. Research Saddle
A scooter is a platform mounted on wheels with a Steerable column. They originally developed from roller skates, and were propelled by the rider. During the beginning of the 20th century small engines started to be fitted, followed by a saddle and the scooter developed into a form of motorcycle. Research Scooter
The camel is a group of two species of even-toed, ungulate ruminating mammals of the family Camelidae characterised by the absence of horns, the possession of incisor, canine and molar teeth, a fissure in the upper lip, a long and arched neck, one or two humps or protuberances on the back (the Arabian camel has one hump, the Common, Asian or Bactrian Camel, two), and a broad elastic foot which does not readily sink into the sand of the desert.
The native country of the camel is said to extend from Marocco to China, within a zone of 900 or 1000 miles in breadth. The common camel (Camelus Bactridnus), having two humps, is only found in the northern part of this region, and exclusively from the ancient Bactria, now Turkestan, to China. The dromedary, or Single-hump camel (Camelus dromedarius), or Arabian camel, is
found throughout the entire length of this zone, on its southern side, as far as Africa and India. The Bactrian species is the larger, more robust, and more fitted for carrying heavy burdens. The dromedary has been called the race-horse of its species. To people residing in the vicinity of the great deserts the camel is an invaluable mode of conveyance. It will travel three days under a load and five days under a rider without drinking. The stronger varieties carry from 700 to 1000 Lbs. burden.
The camel's power of enduring thirst is partly due to the peculiar structure of its stomach, to which are attached little pouches or water-cells, capable of straining off and storing up water for future use, when journeying across the desert. It can live on little food, and of the coarsest kind, leaves of trees, nettles, shrubs, twigs, etc. In this it is helped by the fact that its humps are mere accumulations of fat (the back-bone of the animal being quite straight) and form a store upon which the system can draw when the outside supply is defective. Hence the camel-driver who is about to start on a journey takes care to see that the humps of his animalpresent a full and healthy appearance. Camels which carry heavy burdens will do about 25 miles a day, those which are used for speed alone, from 60 to 90 miles a day.
The camel is rather passive than docile, showing less intelligent co-operation with its master than the horse or elephant; but it is very vindictive when injured. It lives from forty to fifty years. Its flesh is esteemed by the nomadic Arab and its milk is his common food. The hair of the camel serves in the East for making cloth for tents, carpets and wearing apparel. It is imported into European countries for the manufacture of fine pencils for painting and for other purposes. The South American members of the family Camelidae constitute the genusAuchenia, to which the llama and alpaca belong; they have no humps. Research Camel
The Marwari is an ancient Indian breed of small horse formerly used as a war horse by the Rathores of Marwar, who said that a Marwari horse would not fall, even when injured, until it had carried its rider to safety, later by the Moghul cavalry of the 16th century and during the Great War. The Marwari stands up to 14.3 hands high and is bay, brown, chestnut or pinto in colour. Research Marwari
The Probert Encyclopaedia was designed, edited and programed by
Matt and Leela Probert
Abbreviations
Research Bicycle
