Figure 1.--This 1887 portrait shows the Ann Hrbor, Michigan bicycle club (1887). These penny-farthing bicycles were impossible for children to ride. Notice that bicyling was very much a male activiy.

Bicycling exploded in America during the 1880s. It was a partial answer to the horse problem in America's burgeoning cities. Horses were expensive to keep in cities. here were a mere six factories producing 11,000 bikes (1885). Production rapidly expanded. Bike clubs organized popular events and facilities were constructed. A popular early bike was the penny-farthing. These early bikes were very difficult for children to ride and only safe in the hand of an experienced rider. Children simply could not ride these early bikes. For the most part, only teenagers had the physical skills to master them. And for penny-farthings really only older teens not only because if the skills, but you needed long legs. Trikes were developed for younger children. The bicycle became a very popular item and we see clubs organizing. These clubs became early advocates for better roads even before automobiles appeared (1880s). A huge number of industrial and military uses were found for rubber. [Jackson] This only increased with the development of the electricity industry. Rubber proved to be an ideal insulator. The potential of rubber was in large measured realized by a Scottish inventor, John Boyd Dunlop whose 10-year old son Johnine loved to ride his tricycle, but got headaches from the jostling riding over rough roads. The metal tires gave a very jarring ride when Johnie got up a ittle speed. The first practical pneumatic tire was made by Dunlop in 1887 for Johnie. Other inventors had been working on the idea, but it was Dunlop who proved that rubber could withstand rough wear and still retain its resilience. Dunlop produced the first commercial pneumatic tire (1888).

Created: 11:36 PM 1/9/2025
Last updated: 11:36 PM 1/9/2025