The Bicycle & A Lesson in Invention
The bicycle wasn’t invented by a single person. It was the brainchild of collective experimenting and prototyping by dozens of inventors over 70 years to get to its modern —and enduring— form in 1885.
70 years.
It really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? The first bicycle had no pedals and was propelled by the riders’ legs pushing off the ground. Inventors across Europe experimented with crank chains, pedals, size of wheels, saddle positions… and collectively, landed on the 1885 design, the Rover, whose design endures to the modern day.
A short history of the bicycle:
The first patent for a two-wheeled, human-propelled machine, a draisine or laufmaschine, was in 1818 by Baron Karl von Drais. He sought an alternative mode of transport after the disastrous crop failure in 1816, which led to the widespread loss of horses. It had no pedals and was propelled by the riders’ legs pushing off the ground.
But this was enough to spark the imagination of many. For the next few decades, dozens of inventors across Europe experimented with features and mechanisms to make the bicycle a viable mode of transport. Pedals were added in 1866, inspired by the cranks of a steam locomotive.
These iterations were neither comfortable (one was nicknamed the Boneshaker) nor safe (the penny farthing had a 4-foot tall front wheel that riders were often thrown off while riding at great speed).
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Finally, in 1885, Englishman John Kemp Starley produced the Rover, which featured a rear-chain-drive bicycle with equal-sized wheels. The Rover enabled a smooth ride, that was also safe. This design—which was never patented—culminated after decades and dozens of collective prototypes, and endures to the modern day.?
In our day-to-day work, we often obsess over getting to the big ah-ha, the earth-shattering scientific breakthrough, or the final, perfect design form. The bicycle is a great reminder that the biggest co-pilots in enduring inventions are Time and Collaboration.
The next time you face what seems like an insurmountable challenge for change — remember the bicycle.
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Allt i allo p? Learning Partner AB
1 年Great bicycle! I would really like to know when it was built.
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2 年This story is just one small reason why we'll miss you, Tara Tan.
Product, Strategy & Generative AI | Leads LifeStance Labs | IDEO Alum | 5x startups
2 年I had no idea! Baron Karl von Drais was oh so close!