Velocipede
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The velocipede was the predecessor of the bicycle, a human-powered vehicle introduced in the Victorian age. These vehicles had a variety of designs, of two, three, or four wheels. Some two-wheel designs had pedals mounted on the front wheel, other three and four-wheel designs used treadles and levers to drive the rear wheel/s. Later two-wheel velocipedes had increasingly large front wheels, directly driven by bicycle pedals, and a smaller back wheel - these leading to the penny farthing. Invented in 1863 in France by Pierre Lallement, the 2-wheeled velocipede was sometimes called the boneshaker. The Michaux company was the first to mass-produce the velocipede, from 1867 to 1870.
It is also reported that the English scientist Robert Hooke invented the velocipede in the 17th century. This vehicle looks similar to the earliest horseless carriages.
See also
Patents
- [U.S. Patent 59915] -- Velocipede (reissued as RE7972)
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