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Most of what you're describing isn't necessary for a bike. A fixie bike doesn't have a derailleur or freewheeling. And you can slow down without breaks. You ca
by xdennis 4y ago
Most of what you're describing isn't necessary for a bike. A fixie bike doesn't have a derailleur or freewheeling. And you can slow down without breaks.
You can even remove the chain. A penny-farthing bike is a surprisingly simple device. It is surprising it wasn't invented earlier.
My guess would be that they weren't invented earlier because they are not that useful without good roads.
- jackvalentine 4y agoMy uneducated and probably missing a piece understanding is it was the other way around: good roads were demanded by and built for the cyclists. I wonder how serious the improvements in rubber (esp. vulcanisation in the 1830s) were for the practicality of bicycles.
- aortega 4y agoBicycles were invented before tires, they were called boneshakers for that reason.