Figure 1.--The boy on this penny farthing is Norman Griswold. The portrait was taken by Flaglor in San Francisco during 1887. Some studios had a bike for props. He looks about 12 years old. Knee pants were a child's garment, but adult bikers also wore them. Notice that there is no drive chain to the rear wheels, but there is a ringer on the handlebars. The uniform suggests that this boy belonged to a bike club and actually rode bike which with penny farthings took considerable skill. Unfortunately we do not know what the "FW" on his shirt meant, but assume it was the initials of a San Francisco biking club. Fisherman's harfe would be a good guess. The bike clubs in San Francisco were very popular. They organized 'century rides' around the Bay Area and its spectacular scenery. And they organized annual Bike Meets where the members raced against each other before enthusiastic audiences.

Americans began to take an interest in bicycles as soon as they appeared after the Civil War. The first bikes we note were called Penny Fathings, an English term based on the differentb sizes of the two penny and farthing coins. These were bikes with different sized wheels. We see studio portraits with bikes. We are unsure to what extent these were studio props or if the individuals involved were actually bikers. A strong clue is if the indidividual was wearing biking clothes. The boy here seems to wearuing a bike club outfit. Early bikes were very difficult for children to ride. For the most part, only teenagers could master them. The bicycle became a very popular item and we see clubs organizing. These clubs became advocates for better roads even before automobiles appeared (1880s). Also Americans began tinkering with building better bikes. And bike shops began to appear across the country. (One of these shops interestingly would lead to the first air plan.) Safety bikes appeared in the 1890s which opened the way for children's bikes. They were not, however, primarily for children. Middle class men used them for sport. Working-class men if they could afford them, used them ton get to work. At first it was mostly wealthy children that had them. This began to change after the turn-of- the 20th century. One development was the frising income of American workers. And then Henry Ford introduced the Model-T Ford, an automoblile thatv the average worker could afford. By the 1910s we see affluent middle-class children acquiring bikes. After World War I, bikes become invreasingly common, even with working-class children. We see more girls with bikes after the War as well. The photographic record shows large numbers of children with bikes. Demographics was a factor. The bike was a little difficult to sort out for big city children. There was no place for it in cramped apartmnts and the streets were dangerous. It was, however, ideal for the suburbs and small towns. The move to the suburbs which began in earnest after World War I meant that more and more children could hve bikes.

The 19th Century

Americans began to take an interest in bicycles as soon as they appeared after the Civil War. The first bikes we note were European imports. All the early work on bikes was done in Europe. The firsr bikes were called Penny Fathings, an English term based on the different sizes of the two penny and farthing coins. These were bikes with different sized wheels. We see studio portraits with bikes. We are unsure to what extent these were studio props or if the individuals involved were actually bikers. A strong clue is if the indidividual was wearing biking clothes. The boy here seems to wearing a bike club outfit (figure 1). Early bikes were very difficult for children to ride. For the most part, only teenagers had the physical skills to master them. Trikes were developed for younger children. The bicycle became a very popular item and we see clubs organizing. These clubs became advocates for better roads even before automobiles appeared (1880s). Also Americans in the many bike shops tht appeared began tinkering with building better bikes. And bike shops began to appear across the country. (One of these shops interestingly would lead to the first air plan.) Safety bikes appeared in the 1890s which opened the way for children's bikes. They were not, however, primarily for children. Middle class men used them for sport. Working-class men if they could afford them, used them to get to work. At first it was mostly wealthy children that had them. By the end of the cebntury we see boys riding bikes in their ordinary clothes rather than bicycle club uniforms. Almost always this was knee pnts which by the time was the standard type of trousers worn by boys.

The 20th Century

This ability of children to have bikes began to change after the turn-of-the 20th century, especially in America. The major development was the steadily rising income of American workers. American workers were the highest paid workers in the world. Which is why workers in Europe flocked to America in their millions. It was the opportunity created by market capitalism that attracted them. It wasn't the idea of capitalism, it was the high-paying jobs that capitalism created that attracted them, along with political and religious freedom and the absence of a military draft. Free land also attracted them, but even as the Frontier was closing, they still came because of the jobs that were on offer. The high wages meant that more and more families could afford bikes, at first primarily for adults. By the turn of-the 20th century there were bicycle shops all over America. And then Henry Ford introduced the Model-T Ford, an automobile that the average American worker, but not European worker could afford. By the 1910s as adult interest shifted to automobiles we see the bicycle industry shifting toward children. Affluent middle-class children began acquiring bikes. And of course there were trikes for the younger children. After World War I, bikes become increasingly common, even with working-class children. We begin to see girls with bikes after the War as well. The photographic record shows large numbers of children with bikes. Demographics was a factor. The bike was a little difficult to sort out for big city children. There was no place for it in cramped apartments and the streets were dangerous. It was, however, ideal for the suburbs and small towns. The move to the suburbs which began in earnest after World War I and the Model-T and other cars increased the move to the suburbs. Then the Roaring Twenties intensified these trends. All of this meant that more and more children could have bikes and trikes. The Depression slowed this process down, but after World war II (1941-45), bikes were standard for American children. Bikes were more appropriate for suburban life than they were for the cities. European style bikes with multiple gears became popular (1960s). BMX bicycles inspired from motocross motorcycles became popular (1970s).

Created: 12:45 AM 12/1/2009
Last updated: 11:46 PM 6/29/2024