The invention of the bicycle changed history by democratizing
travel for the first time. The common man—and importantly the
common woman—could now afford to travel at reasonable speed
without the need of a horse. Instead of walking just 10 miles a day on
foot, a healthy individual could now ride up to 80 miles on a cycle at a
relatively modest cost.
Today, despite the prevalence of the
car, the bicycle is as important as ever. More cycles appear on city
streets each year, offering healthy, pollution-free transport. Commuters
cycle to work through congested traffic, urban hire-bike schemes are
increasingly common, and the sports of road and track racing continue to
gain in popularity.
For an invention with a history of just 200
years, the simple bicycle has changed the world in many ways. From the
Velocipede to the Pinarello, The History of Cycling in Fifty Bikes
by Tom Ambrose relates this history by telling the stories of 50
iconic machines that have shaped the world.