Yeah, but it was still a very different ride.
Wooden rims and solid rubber tires rattled your bones to bits on the prevailing cobbled roads
Ergonomics weren’t well understood. With that saddle and grip position, you sat hunched over the bars in a cramped position for no good reason.
No gears or freewheel means as long as the wheels are turning, so are your legs - lot’s of fun up and downhill!
No brakes. You brake by countering the pedals’ movement with your legs which is really hard on the knees.
No foot retention means if you slip off the pedal with your leather-soled shoes, you’re gonna have a bad time.
And the steel frame’s tubes were a lot thicker, so even without the MG that bike has about twice the weight of a modern one.
Wow, the general shape of a bike was figured out earlier than I thought
And that’s 1897 AD - the BC ones were similar!
Yeah, but it was still a very different ride.
Wooden rims and solid rubber tires rattled your bones to bits on the prevailing cobbled roads
Ergonomics weren’t well understood. With that saddle and grip position, you sat hunched over the bars in a cramped position for no good reason.
No gears or freewheel means as long as the wheels are turning, so are your legs - lot’s of fun up and downhill!
No brakes. You brake by countering the pedals’ movement with your legs which is really hard on the knees.
No foot retention means if you slip off the pedal with your leather-soled shoes, you’re gonna have a bad time.
And the steel frame’s tubes were a lot thicker, so even without the MG that bike has about twice the weight of a modern one.
tbf, this was cutting-edge technology at the time! The Penny-Farthing had just become obsolete.