Dictionary Definition
bicycle n : a wheeled vehicle that has two wheels
and is moved by foot pedals [syn: bike, wheel, cycle] v : ride a bicycle [syn:
cycle, bike, pedal, wheel]
User Contributed Dictionary
English
Etymology
Often said to be from French, but probably coined from bi- ("two") + Greek κύκλος ("circle", "wheel") on the pattern of tricycle.Pronunciation
Noun
Synonyms
- bike (colloquial)
- cycle
- push bike, pushbike
- velocipede
Translations
vehicle
- Arabic: (darrá:ja)
-
- Moroccan: (bešklīt)
-
- Bosnian: bicikl , biciklo , točak
- Breton: bisiklet,
- Bulgarian: колело (kolelo)
- Chinese (simplified): 自行车 (zìxíngchē), 脚踏车 (jiǎotàchē) (Taiwan), 单车 (dānchē) (Cantonese and southern dialects)
- Cornish: deuros (variant: dewros)
- Croatian: bicikl , točak
- Czech: kolo , jizdní kolo
- Danish: cykel
- Dutch: fiets
- Esperanto: biciklo
- Estonian: jalgratas
- Ewe: gasɔ
- Finnish: polkupyörä
- Flemish: velo
- French: bicyclette , vélo
- German: Fahrrad , Velo (Switzerland), colloquial: Drahtesel
- Greek: ποδήλατο (podílato)
- Hebrew: אופניים (ofnáim) m|p
- Hungarian: kerékpár, bicikli
- Ido: biciklo
- Indonesian: sepeda
- Irish: rothar
- Italian: bicicletta , bici (informal)
- Japanese: 自転車 (じてんしゃ, jiténsha), チャリンコ (charinko) (colloq.)
- Khmer: (gong), (radtayh gong)
- Korean: 자전거 (jajeongeo)
- Lithuanian: dviratis
- Malay: basikal
- Maltese: rota
- Manx: daachiarkyl, daawheeyl
- Navajo:
- Norwegian: sykkel
- Polish: rower
- Portuguese: bicicleta
- Romanian: bicicletă
- Russian: велосипед (velosipéd)
- Scottish Gaelic: biseagal , rothair , baic (colloq.)
- Serbian:
- Slovak: bicykel
- Spanish: bicicleta , bici (informal)
- Swahili: baisikeli (noun 9/10)
- Swedish: cykel , tvåhjuling
- Tagalog: bisikleta
- Telugu: సైకిలు (saikilu)
- Turkish: bisiklet
- Ukrainian: велосипед (velosipéd)
- Vietnamese: xe đạp
- Welsh: beic
- West Frisian: fyts
- Yiddish: ביציקל (bitsíkl) , ראָווער (róver) , וועלאָסיפּעד (velosipéd) , ביציקלעט (bitsiklét)
See also
Extensive Definition
The bicycle, cycle or bike, is a pedal-driven,
human-powered
vehicle with two wheels
attached to a frame, one
behind the other.
First introduced in 19th-century Europe, bicycles
now number approximately one billion worldwide, providing the
principal means of transportation in many regions. They also
provide a popular form of recreation, and have been
adapted for use in many other fields of human activity, including
children's toys, adult
fitness,
military and police applications, courier services, and cycle
sports.
The basic shape and configuration of a typical
bicycle has hardly changed since the first chain-driven model was
developed around 1885, although many important details have been
improved, especially since the advent of modern materials and
computer-aided
design. These have allowed for a proliferation of specialized
designs for particular types of cycling.
The bicycle has had a considerable effect on
human society, in both the cultural and industrial realms. In its
early years, bicycle construction drew on pre-existing
technologies; more recently, bicycle technology has, in turn,
contributed both to old and new areas.
History
Several innovators contributed to the history of
the bicycle by developing precursor human-powered vehicles. The
documented ancestors of today's modern bicycle were known as push
bikes, Draisines or
hobby horses. To use the Draisine, first introduced to the public
in Paris by the German Baron Karl von Drais
in 1818, the operator sat astride a wooden frame supported by two
in-line wheels and pushed the vehicle along with his/her feet while
steering the front wheel.
In the early 1860s, Frenchmen Pierre
Michaux and Pierre
Lallement took bicycle design in a new direction by adding a
mechanical crank
drive with pedals on an enlarged front wheel. Several
why-not-the-rear-wheel inventions followed, the best known being
the rod-driven velocipede by Scotsman Thomas
McCall in 1869. The French creation, wrought of iron and wood,
developed into the "penny-farthing"
(more formally an ordinary
bicycle), featuring a tubular steel frame on which were mounted
wire spoked wheels with
solid rubber tires. These
bicycles were not, however, for the faint hearted, due to the very
high seat and poor weight distribution.
The subsequent dwarf ordinary addressed some of
these faults by reducing the front wheel diameter and setting the
seat further back, necessitating the addition of gearing, effected
in a variety of ways, to attain sufficient speed. However, having
to both pedal and steer via the front wheel remained a problem.
Starley's nephew, J. K.
Starley, J. H. Lawson, and Shergold solved this problem by
introducing the chain drive
connecting the pedals held with the frame to the back wheel. These
models were known as dwarf safeties, or safety bicycles, for their
lower seat height and better weight distribution. Starley's 1885
Rover is usually described as the first recognizably modern
bicycle. Soon, the seat tube was added, creating the
double-triangle diamond frame of the modern bike.
New innovations increased comfort, and ushered in
a second bicycle
craze, the 1890s' Golden Age of Bicycles. In 1888, Scotsman
John Boyd
Dunlop introduced the pneumatic
tire, which soon became universal. Soon after, the rear
freewheel was
developed, enabling the rider to coast. This refinement led to the
1898 invention of coaster brakes. Derailleur
gears and hand-operated cable-pull
brakes were also developed during these years, but were only
slowly adopted by casual riders. By the turn of the century,
cycling
clubs flourished on both sides of the Atlantic, and touring and
racing were soon extremely popular.
Bicycles and horse buggies were the two mainstays
of private transportation just prior to the automobile, and the
grading of smooth roads in the late 19th century was stimulated by
the wide use of these devices.
Uses for bicycles
Bicycles have been and are employed for many
uses:
- Utility: bicycle commuting and utility cycling
- Work: mail delivery, paramedics, police, and general delivery.
- Recreation: bicycle touring, mountain biking, BMX and physical fitness.
- Racing: track racing, criterium, roller racing and time trial to multi-stage events like the Tour of California, Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, the Vuelta a España, the Volta a Portugal, among others.
- Military: scouting, troop movement, supply of provisions, and patrol. See bicycle infantry.
- Show: entertainment and performance, e.g. circus clowns
Technical aspects
Since the first bicycle, many important details have been improved, especially with the advent of modern materials and computer-aided design. These have allowed for a proliferation of specialized bicycle types.Types of bicycle
Bicycles can be categorized in different ways:
e.g. by function, by number of riders, by general construction, by
gearing or by means of propulsion. The more common types include
utility
bicycles, mountain
bicycles, racing
bicycles, touring
bicycles, cruiser
bicycles, and BMX bicycles. Less
common are tandems,
lowriders,
tall
bikes, fixed
gear, folding
models and recumbents
(one of which was used to set the IHPVA
Hour record).
Unicycles,
tricycles and quadracycles are not
strictly bicycles, as they have respectively one, three and four
wheels, but are often referred to informally as "bikes".
Dynamics
A bicycle stays upright by being steered so as to keep its center of gravity over its wheels. This steering is usually provided by the rider, but under certain conditions may be provided by the bicycle itself.A bicycle must lean in order to turn. This lean
is induced by a method known as countersteering, which
can be performed by the rider turning the handlebars directly with
the hands or indirectly by leaning the bicycle.
Short-wheelbase or tall bicycles,
when braking, can generate enough stopping force at the front wheel
in order to flip longitudinally. This action, especially if
performed on purpose, is known as a stoppie, endo or front
wheelie.
Performance
In both biological and mechanical terms, the
bicycle is extraordinarily efficient. In terms of the amount of
energy a person must expend to travel a given distance,
investigators have calculated it to be the most efficient
self-powered means of transportation. From a mechanical viewpoint,
up to 99% of the energy delivered by the rider into the pedals is
transmitted to the wheels, although the use of gearing mechanisms
may reduce this by 10-15%. In terms of the ratio of cargo weight a
bicycle can carry to total weight, it is also a most efficient
means of cargo transportation.
A human being traveling on a bicycle at low to
medium speeds of around 10-15 mph (15-25 km/h), using only the
energy required to walk, is the most energy-efficient means of
transport generally available. Air drag, which is proportional to
the square of speed, requires dramatically higher power outputs as
speeds increase. A bicycle which places the rider in a seated
position, supine
position or, more rarely, prone
position, and which may be covered in an aerodynamic fairing to
achieve very low air drag, is referred to as a recumbent
bicycle or human
powered vehicle. On an upright bicycle, the rider's body
creates about 75% of the total drag of the bicycle/rider
combination.
In addition, the carbon dioxide generated in the
production and transportation of the food required by the
bicyclist, per mile traveled, is less than 1/10th that generated by
energy efficient cars.
Construction and parts
In its early years, bicycle construction drew on pre-existing technologies; more recently, bicycle technology has, in turn, contributed ideas in both old and new areas.Frame
The great majority of today's bicycles have a
frame with upright seating which looks much like the first
chain-driven bike. Such upright
bicycles almost always feature the diamond frame, a truss consisting of two triangles: the front triangle
and the rear triangle. The front triangle consists of the head
tube, top tube, down tube and seat tube. The head tube contains the
headset,
the set of bearings that allows the fork to turn
smoothly for steering and balance. The top tube connects the head
tube to the seat tube at the top, and the down tube connects the
head tube to the bottom
bracket. The rear triangle consists of the seat tube and paired
chain stays and seat stays. The chain stays run parallel to the
chain,
connecting the bottom bracket to the rear dropouts.
The seat stays connect the top of the seat tube (at or near the
same point as the top tube) to the rear dropouts.
Historically, women's bicycle frames had a top
tube that connected in the middle of the seat tube instead of the
top, resulting in a lower standover height at the expense of
compromised structural integrity, since this places a strong
bending load in the seat tube, and bicycle frame members are
typically weak in bending. This design, referred to as a step-through
frame, allows the rider to mount and dismount in a dignified
way while wearing a skirt or dress. While some women's bicycles
continue to use this frame style, there is also a variation, the
mixte,
which splits the top tube into two small top tubes that bypass the
seat tube and connect to the rear dropouts. The ease of stepping
through is also appreciated by those with limited flexibility or
other joint problems. Because of its persistent image as a
"women's" bicycle, step-through frames are not common for larger
builds.
A more recent development is the recumbent
bicycle. These are inherently more aerodynamic than upright
versions, as the rider may lean back onto a support and operate
pedals that are on about the same level as the seat. The world's
fastest bicycle is a recumbent
bicycle but this type was banned from competition in 1934 by
the
Union Cycliste Internationalehttp://www.recumbent-bikes-truth-for-you.com/history.html.
Historically, materials used in bicycles have
followed a similar pattern as in aircraft, the goal being high
strength and low weight. Since the late 1930s alloy steels have
been used for frame and fork tubes in higher quality machines.
Celluloid
found application in mudguards, and aluminum alloys are
increasingly used in components such as handlebars, seat post, and
brake levers. In the 1980s aluminum alloy frames became
popular, and their affordability now makes them common. More
expensive carbon fiber
and titanium frames are
now also available, as well as advanced steel alloys and even
bamboo.
Drivetrain
details bicycle
gearing
Since cyclists' legs are most efficient over a
narrow range of cadences,
a variable gear ratio is
helpful to maintain an optimum pedalling speed while covering
varied terrain.
The drivetrain begins with pedals
which rotate the crank arms,
which are held in axis by the bottom
bracket. On a bicycle with shaft drive, a gear set at the
bottom bracket turns the shaft, which then turns the rear wheel via
a gear set connected to the wheel's hub. The rear hub may provide
several different gear ratios.
On a bicycle with chain drive, a crank arm may
have one or more chainrings or sprockets attached. A chainring
drives the chain,
which in turn rotates the rear wheel via the rear sprockets (cassette
or freewheel). A gearing
system is used to vary the number of rear wheel revolutions
produced by each turn of the pedals.
When the bicycle chain shifts to a larger rear
sprocket, or to a smaller front sprocket (a lower gear) every turn
of the pedal leads to fewer rotations in the freewheel (and hence
the rear wheel). This allows the force required to move the same
distance to be distributed over more pedal cycles, reducing fatigue
when riding uphill, with a heavy load, or against strong winds. The
reverse process allows the cyclist to make fewer pedal cycles to
maintain a higher speed, but with more effort per cycle.
Road
bicycles have close set multi-step gearing, which allows fine
control of cadence, while utility
bicycles offer fewer, more widely spaced speeds. Mountain
bikes, touring
bikes and many entry-level racing
bicycles offer an extremely low gear to facilitate climbing
slowly on steep hills. Single-speed
bicycles have only one gear.
Steering and seating
The handlebars turn the fork and the front wheel via the stem, which rotates within the headset. Three styles of handlebar are common. Upright handlebars, the norm in Europe and elsewhere until the 1970s, curve gently back toward the rider, offering a natural grip and comfortable upright position. Drop handlebars are "dropped", offering the cyclist either an aerodynamic "crouched" position or a more upright posture in which the hands grip the brake lever mounts. Mountain bikes feature a straight handlebar which can provide better low-speed handling due to the wider nature of the bars.Saddles
also vary with rider preference, from the cushioned ones favored by
short-distance riders to narrower saddles which allow more room for
leg swings. Comfort depends on riding position. With comfort bikes
and hybrids the cyclist sits high over the seat, their weight
directed down onto the saddle, such that a wider and more cushioned
saddle is preferable. For racing bikes where the rider is bent
over, weight is more evenly distributed between the handlebars and
saddle, and the hips are flexed, and a narrower and harder saddle
is more efficient. Differing saddle designs exist for male and
female cyclists, accommodating the genders' differing anatomies,
although bikes typically are sold with saddles most appropriate for
males.
A recumbent
bicycle has a reclined chair-like
seat that some riders find more comfortable than a saddle,
especially riders who suffer from certain types of seat, back,
neck, shoulder, or wrist pain. Recumbent bicycles may have either
under-seat or over-seat steering.
Brakes
Modern bicycle brakes are either rim brakes, in which friction pads are compressed against the wheel rims, internal hub brakes, in which the friction pads are contained within the wheel hubs, or disc brakes. Disc brakes are common on off-road bicycles, tandems and recumbent bicycles, but are considered impractical on road bicycles, which rarely encounter conditions where the advantages of discs are significant. Hub drum brakes do not cope well with extended braking, so rim or disc brakes are favored in hilly terrain.With hand-operated brakes, force is applied to
brake levers mounted on the handlebars and transmitted via Bowden
cables or hydraulic lines to the friction pads. A rear hub
brake may be either hand-operated or pedal-actuated, as in the back
pedal coaster brakes which were popular in North America until the
1960s, and are still common in children's bicycles.
Track
bicycles do not have brakes. Brakes are not required for riding
on a track because all riders ride in the same direction around a
track which does not necessitate sharp deceleration. Track riders
are still able to slow down because all track bicycles are fixed-gear,
meaning that there is no freewheel. Without a
freewheel, coasting is impossible, so when the rear wheel is
moving, the crank is moving. To slow down one may apply resistance
to the pedals. While it is illegal in most jurisdictions to cycle
on roads without brakes, a fixed-gear bike without brakes can be
slowed by skidding the rear wheel. This involves unweighting the
rear wheel and applying a backwards force to the pedals, causing
the rear wheel to lock up and slide along the road. Most track bike
frames and forks do not have holes for mounting brakes, although
with their increasing popularity among some road cyclists, some
manufacturers have designed their track frames to enable the
fitting of brakes.
Suspension
Bicycle suspension refers to the system or
systems used to suspend the rider and all or part of the bicycle.
This serves two purposes:
- To keep the wheels in continuous contact with rough surfaces in order to improve control.
- To isolate the rider and luggage from jarring due to rough surfaces.
Bicycle suspensions are used primarily on
mountain
bicycles, but are also common on hybrid
bicycles, and can even be found on some road
bicycles, as they can help deal with problematic vibration.
Suspension is especially important on recumbent
bicycles, since while an upright bicycle rider can stand on the
pedals to achieve some of the benefits of suspension, a recumbent
rider cannot.
Wheels
A bicycle wheel is almost always built up
from a hub, rim, and spokes, and fitted with rubber pneumatic
tires.
Spokes are steel or stainless steel, and can be
replaced if broken. Hubs and rims can be aluminum or steel, but
steel wheels are becoming rare in most countries. Aluminum rims are
lighter and give much better braking in wet conditions. Typically
they are anodized except
for the braking surfaces. With disc brakes, the whole rim can be
anodized, usually in black or silver. Wheels may also be cast or
molded in one piece from aluminum alloy, plastic, and carbon fiber
for various specialty bikes; plastic, for example, was once favored
for BMX
bikes.
The wheel axle fits into dropouts
in the frame and
forks. A
pair of wheels may be called a wheelset, especially in the
context of ready-built "off the shelf", performance-oriented
wheels.
Tires vary enormously. Skinny, road-racing tires
may be completely smooth, or (slick). On the
opposite extreme, off-road tires are wider and thicker, and usually
have a deep tread for gripping in muddy conditions.
Accessories, repairs, and tools
Some components, which are often optional
accessories on sports bicycles, are standard features on utility
bicycles to enhance their usefulness and comfort. Mudguards, or
fenders,
protect the cyclist and moving parts from spray when riding through
wet areas and chainguards protect clothes
from oil on the chain. Kick stands
keep a bicycle upright when parked. Front-mounted baskets
for carrying goods are often used. Luggage
carriers and panniers can be used to carry
equipment or cargo. Parents sometimes add rear-mounted child seats
and/or an auxiliary saddle fitted to the crossbar to transport
children.
Toe-clips and toestraps and
clipless pedals help to keep the foot planted firmly in the
proper position on the pedals, and enable the cyclist to pull as
well as push the pedals. Technical accessories include cyclocomputers for
measuring speed and distance. Other accessories include lights,
reflectors, security
lock, mirror, water bottles and cages, and
bell.
Bicycle
helmets may help reduce injury in the event of a collision or
accident, and a certified helmet is legally required for some
riders in some jurisdictions. Helmets are classified as an
accessory
Many cyclists carry tool kits. These may include
a tire patch kit (which, in turn, may contain any combination of a
tire
pump or CO2
cartridges, tire levers,
spare tubes,
self-adhesive patches, or tube-patching material, an adhesive, a
piece of sandpaper or a metal grater to clean off a section of the
tube, and sometimes even a block of French
chalk.), wrenches,
hex keys,
screwdrivers, and a
chain
tool. There are also cycling specific multi-tools that
combine many of these implements into a single compact device. More
specialized bicycle components may require more complex tools,
including proprietary tools specific for a given
manufacturer.
Some bicycle parts, particularly hub-based
gearing systems, are complex, and many cyclists prefer to leave
maintenance
and repairs to professional bicycle
mechanics. In some areas it is possible to purchase road-side
assistance from companies such as the Better
World Club. Other cyclists maintain their own bicycles, perhaps
as part of their enjoyment of the hobby of cycling or simply for
economic reasons.
Standards
A number of formal and industry standards exist for bicycle components, to help make spare parts exchangeable:Parts
For details on specific bicycle parts, see
list
of bicycle parts and :category:bicycle
parts.
Social and historical aspects
The bicycle has had a considerable effect on human society, in both the cultural and industrial realms.Bicycles in daily life
Around the turn of the 20th century, bicycles
helped reduce crowding in inner-city tenements by allowing workers
to commute from more spacious dwellings in the suburbs. They also
reduced dependence on horses, with all the knock-on effects this
brought to society. Bicycles allowed people to travel for leisure
into the country, since bicycles were three times as energy
efficient as walking, and three to four times as fast. Recently,
several European cities have implemented successful schemes, known
as Community
bicycle programs or bike-sharing schemes. These initiatives are
designed to complement a city's public transport system and offer
an alternative to motorized traffic to help reduce congestion and
pollution. Users can take a bicycle at a parking station, use it
for a limited amount of time, and then return it to the same, or a
different, station. Examples of such schemes are Bicing in Barcelona,
Vélo'v
in Lyon and
Vélib'
in Paris.
In cities where the bicycle is not an integral
part of the planned transportation system, commuters often use
bicycles as elements of a mixed-mode
commute, where the bike is used to travel to and from train
stations or other forms of rapid
transit. Folding
bicycles are useful in these scenarios, as they are less
cumbersome when carried aboard.
Until recently, bicycles have been a staple of
everyday life in the
People's Republic of China. They are the most frequently used
method of transport for commuting to work, school, shopping, and
life in general. As a result bicycles there are almost always
equipped with baskets and back seats.
Female emancipation
The diamond-frame safety bicycle gave women
unprecedented mobility, contributing to their
emancipation in Western nations. As bicycles became safer and
cheaper, more women had access to the personal freedom they
embodied, and so the bicycle came to symbolize the New Woman of
the late nineteenth century, especially in Britain and the United
States.
The bicycle was recognized by nineteenth-century
feminists and suffragists as a "freedom
machine" for women. American Susan B.
Anthony said in a New York
World interview on February 2
1896: "Let me
tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to
emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a
feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every
time I see a woman ride by on a wheel...the picture of free,
untrammeled womanhood." In 1895 Frances Willard, the tightly-laced
president of the
Women’s Christian Temperance Union, wrote a book called How I
Learned to Ride the Bicycle, in which she praised the bicycle she
learned to ride late in life, and which she named "Gladys", for its
"gladdening effect" on her health and political optimism. Willard
used a cycling metaphor to urge other suffragists to action,
proclaiming, "I would not waste my life in friction when it could
be turned into momentum."
Male anger at the freedom symbolized by the New
(bicycling) Woman was demonstrated when the male undergraduates of
Cambridge
University showed their opposition to the admission of women as
full members of the university by hanging a woman bicyclist in
effigy in the main town square. This was as late as 1897. The
bicycle
craze in the 1890s also led to a movement for so-called
rational
dress, which helped liberate women from corsets and
ankle-length skirts and other restrictive garments, substituting
the then-shocking bloomers.
Economic implications
Bicycle manufacturing proved to be a training ground for other industries and led to the development of advanced metalworking techniques, both for the frames themselves and for special components such as ball bearings, washers, and sprockets. These techniques later enabled skilled metalworkers and mechanics to develop the components used in early automobiles and aircraft. J. K. Starley's company became the Rover Cycle Company Ltd. in the late 1890s, and then simply the Rover Company when it started making cars. The Morris Motor Company (in Oxford) and Škoda also began in the bicycle business, as did the Wright Brothers. Alistair Craig whose company eventually emerged to become the engine manufacturers Ailsa Craig also started from manufacturing bicycles in Glasgow in March 1885.In general, U.S. and European cycle manufacturers
used to assemble cycles from their own frames and components made
by other companies, although very large companies (such as Raleigh)
used to make almost every part of a bicycle (including bottom
brackets, axles, etc.) In recent years, those bicycle makers have
greatly changed their methods of production. Now, almost none of
them produce their own frames.
Many newer or smaller companies only design and
market their products; the actual production is done by Asian
companies. For example, some sixty percent of the world's bicycles
are now being made in China. Despite this shift in production, as
nations such as China and India become more
wealthy, their own use of bicycles has declined due to the
increasing affordability of cars and motorcycles. One of the major
reasons for the proliferation of Chinese-made bicycles in foreign
markets is the lower cost of labour in China.
Legal requirements
The 1968
Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of the United
Nations considers a bicycle to be a vehicle, and a person
controlling a bicycle is considered a driver. The traffic codes of
many countries reflect these definitions and demand that a bicycle
satisfy certain legal requirements, sometimes even including
licensing, before it can be used on public roads. In many
jurisdictions it is an offence to use a bicycle that is not in
roadworthy condition.
In most jurisdictions, bicycles
must have functioning front and rear lights
when ridden after dark. As some generator or dynamo-driven lamps
only operate while moving, rear reflectors are
frequently also mandatory. Since a moving bicycle makes little
noise, some countries insist that bicycles have a warning bell for
use when approaching pedestrians, equestrians and other
bicyclists.
See also
- Cycling - use of bicycles
General
Special uses and related vehicle types
Other
Notes
References
- All About Bicycling, Rand McNally.
- Richard Ballantine, Richard's Bicycle Book, Pan, 1975.
- Caunter C. F. The History and Development of Cycles Science Museum London 1972.
- Daniel Kirshner. Some nonexplanations of bicycle stability. American Journal of Physics, 48(1), 1980. The abstract reads "In this paper we attempt to verify a nongyroscopic theory of bicycle stability, and fail".
- David B. Perry, Bike Cult: the Ultimate Guide to Human-powered Vehicles, Four Walls Eight Windows, 1995.
- Roni Sarig, The Everything Bicycle Book, Adams Media Corporation, 1997
- US Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration. "America's Highways 1776-1976", pp. 42-43. Washington, DC, US Government Printing Office.
- David Gordon Wilson, Bicycling Science, MIT press, ISBN 0-262-73154-1
- David V. Herlihy, Bicycle: The History, Yale University Press, 2004
- Frank Berto, The Dancing Chain: History and Development of the Dérailleur Bicycle, San Francisco: Van der Plas Publications, 2005, ISBN 1-892495-41-4.
- The Data Book: 100 Years of Bicycle Component and Accessory Design, San Francisco: Van der Plas Publications, 2005, ISBN 1-892495-01-5.
External links
- A range of Traffic Advisory Leaflets produced by the UK Department for Transport covering cycling.
- Menotomy Vintage Bicycles - Databases of antique bicycle photos, features, price guide and research tools. Very large archives.
- The Bicycle - Worlds most efficient form of transportation Discussion of the Bicycle and its advantages over motor vehicles
- Brown, Sheldon (2005). Extensive Online Bicycle Glossary
- Hudson, William (2003). Myths and Milestones in Bicycle Evolution. Retrieved March 30 2005.
- A History of Bicycles and Other Cycles at the Canada Science and Technology Museum
- Jones, David E. H. (1970). The Stability of the Bicycle. Scanned in copy for download for personal use.
- Bicycle City
- The ibikeu Wiki, a wiki site intended to document everything bike.
- The Bicycle Tutor Learn how to fix your own bike with step-by-step video tutorials.
- The World Awheel: Early Cycling Books at the Lilly Library
bicycle in Afrikaans: Fiets
bicycle in Arabic: دراجة
bicycle in Aragonese: Bezicleta
bicycle in Asturian: Bicicleta
bicycle in Belarusian (Tarashkevitsa):
Ровар
bicycle in Bosnian: Bicikl
bicycle in Bulgarian: Велосипед
bicycle in Catalan: Bicicleta
bicycle in Czech: Jízdní kolo
bicycle in Welsh: Beic
bicycle in Danish: Cykel
bicycle in Pennsylvania German: Beik
bicycle in German: Fahrrad
bicycle in Estonian: Jalgratas
bicycle in Modern Greek (1453-): Ποδήλατο
bicycle in Spanish: Bicicleta
bicycle in Esperanto: Biciklo
bicycle in Basque: Txirrindu
bicycle in Persian: دوچرخه
bicycle in French: Bicyclette
bicycle in Irish: Rothar
bicycle in Scottish Gaelic: Rothair
bicycle in Galician: Bicicleta
bicycle in Korean: 자전거
bicycle in Hindi: सायकिल
bicycle in Croatian: Bicikl
bicycle in Ido: Biciklo
bicycle in Indonesian: Sepeda
bicycle in Icelandic: Reiðhjól
bicycle in Italian: Bicicletta
bicycle in Hebrew: אופניים
bicycle in Javanese: Pit
bicycle in Kazakh: Велосипед
bicycle in Latin: Birota
bicycle in Latvian: Velosipēds
bicycle in Lithuanian: Dviratis
bicycle in Hungarian: Kerékpár
bicycle in Malay (macrolanguage): Basikal
bicycle in Dutch: Fiets
bicycle in Dutch Low Saxon: Fietse
bicycle in Japanese: 自転車
bicycle in Norwegian: Sykkel
bicycle in Norwegian Nynorsk: Sykkel
bicycle in Narom: Bike
bicycle in Uzbek: Velosiped
bicycle in Polish: Rower
bicycle in Portuguese: Bicicleta
bicycle in Romanian: Bicicletă
bicycle in Quechua: Iskaymuyu
bicycle in Russian: Велосипед
bicycle in Simple English: Bicycle
bicycle in Slovak: Bicykel
bicycle in Slovenian: Dvokolo
bicycle in Serbian: Бицикл
bicycle in Sundanese: Sapédah
bicycle in Finnish: Polkupyörä
bicycle in Swedish: Cykel
bicycle in Tamil: மிதிவண்டி
bicycle in Thai: จักรยาน
bicycle in Vietnamese: Xe đạp
bicycle in Turkish: Bisiklet
bicycle in Ukrainian: Велосипед
bicycle in Wu Chinese: 自行車
bicycle in Yiddish: ביציקל
bicycle in Contenese: 單車
bicycle in Samogitian: Dvėratis
bicycle in Chinese: 自行車