The first real bicycle design that we can prove exists was designed by a Frenchmen named Elie Richard who planned as early as 1690 to make a wooden two wheeler. He never actually made the bike and it was not until about 100 years later when another Frenchman named Comte de Sivrac invented and marketed the first popular bike. His machine was incredibly popular because it was cheap and was much faster than walking but it was not exactly a refined bicycle. It lacked any pedals or gears and was propelled by the rider pushing his feet along the ground. It was basically a wooden beam that had wheels attached on either end. It also lacked any mean or form of steering. Who needs to steer or brake anyway?

It was not until KirkPatrick Macmillian invented a pedaling system for the bicycle that the bike began to take a more modern form. Steering was invented by a man named Niepce and Macmillian invented a system of two platforms that were connected to a rear up by a very long arm and propelled the bike along. Macmillian rode in history's first bike race when he challenged a mail coach driver to a race to prove how fast and tough his invention was.

Finally in 1861 an inventor Perre Michaux invented the first real modern bicycle. He called his bike the Velocipede and it was front wheel drive. It was propelled like a child s tricycle is today where the pedaling drives the front wheel rather than the back.

His front wheel drive method quickly caught on with other bike builders and launched the famous "high wheeler" era of bicycling.



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