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Historical cycle development

Based upon the principle of balanced travel.

Began from the ideas of le Comte de Sivrac of Paris in 1791. It was called the

celerifere.

He placed wheels on a rocking horse, was foot propelled.

Renamed to velocipede (dandy-horse) for marketing purposes.

German, Baron Karl von Drais von Sauerbron in 1816 placed a steerable front

wheel, armrest, a padded seat and a primitive rear wheel brake. Foot propelled

He called it draisienne.

In 1821, Lewis Compertz, designed rack & pinion system (a cog meshing with a

toothed rack) so the arms could be used to assist the feet pushing along the

ground.

It was not close to perfect, but was a temporary improvement to the problem.

Kirkpatrick Macmillan developed pedal power in 1839.

It used a pair of hanging stirrup pedals, attached to long arms that connected tocranks on the rear wheel. Similar to locomotive drive

Gearing was determined by the size of the reel wheel.

However, it weighed 30 kg, reducing its mobility.

Overall, faster and more power onto the ground

In 1861, Ernest and Pierre Michaux proposed the idea of fitting cranks, with

pedals on the ends, to the front wheel so that it could be pedalled.

In 1867 Michaux opened a factory to produce these velocipede or boneshaker. It

was the beginning of another form of transport with riding schools and

competitions developed.

In 1874, James Starley developed the side-saddle with one pedal for the ladies.

Starley also invented the spoke, radiating at an angle from the wheel hub.

Since the speed of the bicycle was slow compared to other forms of travel, it was

the major factor in new designs.

The only advantage before gears were increasing wheel diameter. Sizes went up to

1.52 m in diameter. This would give you the largest distance for one rotation.

They were called Old ordinary or Penny Farthing.

However, it was very unstable and was dangerous, as breaking hard would throw

the rider forward. Descending down a hill would cause the pedals to spin wildly.

Footrests were later installed. They cost an average worker six month's pay, whichwas not very cheap, hand made.

James Starley in 1880 designed the chain-driven bike, but the Rover safety

bicycle was not developed until 1885.

It brought about crucial design elements of the bicycle: geared chain drive, wheels

of equal size, direct steering, inclined forks, & diamond-shaped frame.

Harry J. Lawson patented Crocodile safety bicycle in 1876 with rear wheel

drive.

In 1888 at Belfast, John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic cycle tyre. Prior to

this, they used solid rubber tyres. This made the ride more comfortable, thus, cantravel faster. This also cut down on manufacturing methods as it improved.

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In the 1880s and 90s saw the mass production of bicycles.

They were being assembled using 300 separate components, manufactured by

specialist firms.

The cycle industry literally paved the way for the automobile industry by creating

paved roads for bicycles.

1900s saw the modifications to frame angles and use of different alloys to reduceweight.

1960s saw the use of high strength, lightweight aluminium alloy frames as well as

new gearing systems.

Recumbent bicycles

SWB Short wheelbase. Pedals are in front of the front wheel. Manoeuvrable at

low speeds. However, tend to be bumpier as distance between the two wheels is

small.

LWB Long wheelbase. Pedals are behind the front wheel. Superb performance,

excellent stability and comfort. Harder to balance and cant take fast corners.

Recumbent tricycles

High centre of gravity, tend to roll over.

Delta One wheel at front, two at back

Tadpole Two wheels at front, on at back.

Low in aerodynamics

Car development

Ford Model T (1908-1927): first mass-produced car on production line. 4

cylinders, 2.9 litre unit with one-piece block. Top: 64 km/h.

Austin 7 (1922-1939): Small, 696cc then 747cc engine. 70-80 km/h.

Volkswagen Beetle (1938-1980): Peoples car of Hitler. Reliable but noisy, air-

cooled motor. Most popular car sold.

Citroen DS19 (1955-1975): Released 1955, aerodynamic, hydro-pneumatic

suspension

BMC Mini (1959-2000): Designed by Alec Issigonis placed motor across the car.

Very compact gearbox/motor unit. Motor mounted transversely. The 1100 1800used Hydrolastic systems for superior handling.

Mercedes-Benz A Class (1998-): sandwich floor and transverse engine. High, so

it rolled over. Had to be fixed immediately through suspension and tyres.

Hybrid cars: Toyota Prius and Honda Insight. Engines drive an alternator, which

charges batteries. Electricity drives electric motor. Less pollution and runs engine

when need to. Reverse motor to become generator when braking (regenerative

braking). Fuel-efficient.

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