world’s first bicycle

In Frederick Herland’s view, from 1870 onwards, the bicycle became a symbol of the progress of modernity. People call the bicycle a “mechanical horse”, but it is cheaper than a horse and can get rid of all the troubles caused by a horse. Not only will you not get tired, but you can ride it whenever you want. People can freely ride it to walk around the streets, no longer limited by the time of the train, no need to worry about emergencies on the road, and no need to take care of the horses. For people who used to walk, under the premise of consuming the same physical strength, the distance covered by cycling is 3-4 times that of the original, and the range of people’s daily activities can be expanded by 10-15 times.

Such progress not only brought convenient transportation, but also changed the social relationship between people, especially improving the social status of women. At the end of the 19th century, the first wave of women’s liberation movements in Europe and the United States was on the rise. Before that, women’s scope of activities was very limited. They were trapped at home and were greatly restricted in education, work, and politics. In 1893, Frances Willard, leader of the largest women’s political group in the United States, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union and a pioneer of the women’s movement, became the first woman to ride a bicycle. She encourages more women to ride bicycles and go to a wider world. It inspires a sense of self in women. In 1895, the British writer Louise Jeye said: “The wheel of liberty, spinning freely in a prosperous country, the young girl of today can feel her own true independence, and at the same time better her fitness, her mind will be enriched.”

At the beginning of its advent, the price of bicycles was very high, and almost only the middle class could afford it. However, as early as 1899, Pierre Giffard made such a prediction in “The End of the Horse”: “The emergence of bicycles has brought tangible social benefits. It allows the poor to have ‘horses’ to ride , just wait for a bigger trend, and it will become everyone’s ‘horse’, an egalitarian means of transportation.” The “bigger trend” expected by Giffard will soon come. By the first half of the 20th century, with large-scale industrial production, bicycles had penetrated into all social classes and became the darling of ordinary people. A large number of workers, employees and farmers began to cycle between home and work. In addition to liberating women more, bicycles help find a job and go to work steadily, and also allow young people to step into independence… Around the 1930s, bicycles were endowed with a symbolic meaning of independence, freedom, and popularity. Frederick Helan pointed out that bicycles help to establish a harmonious and equal relationship between people and promote the development of a democratic society. The Dutch royal family found that riding a bicycle can show the affinity of the people. Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands loved cycling when she was young, and her daughter Juliana took a bicycle trip after her wedding. People even called it “the royal family on bicycles”.

Bicycles pave the way for the development of automobiles in all aspects. It allows people to experience the joy of free travel for the first time. Can continue to serve the automotive market. Therefore, when European and American countries ushered in the take-off of traffic motorization after World War II, the great recession of bicycles was inevitable.