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Velocipede
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The velocipede was a series of human-powered vehicles created in the Victorian age, that eventually evolved into the bicycle. There were designs with two, three and four wheels. Some two-wheeled designs had pedals mounted on the front wheel, while three- and four-wheeled designs used treadles and levers to drive the rear wheels. Later two-wheel versions had increasingly large front wheels, directly driven by bicycle pedals, and a smaller back wheel—these leading to the penny farthing.
The two-wheeled velocipede sometimes called the boneshaker was invented in 1863 in France by Pierre Lallement. The Michaux company was the first to mass-produce the velocipede, from 1867 to 1870. It cost $100 in 1870, making it unaffordable to the working classes.
It is also reported that the English scientist Robert Hooke invented the velocipede in the 17th century. This vehicle looked similar to the earliest horseless carriages.
- U.S. Patent 59,915 -- Velocipede (reissued as RE7972)
- The Velocipede Museum, Old New Castle, Delaware USA
- 19th century picture of a Velocipede supposedly outrunning a horse
- Musée McCord Museum Gallery "A Race on the Ice - Bicycles v. Skates"
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