The invention of the bicycle

Frenchman Louis Joseph Dineur filed a patent for this new machine, which he called the "velocipede." However, it was poorly marketed and its users were mocked… The machine was soon subject to complex mechanical improvements, mainly involving transferring the power generated by users to the wheels via pedals.

Alexandre Mercier was a mechanic from Amiens who was the first person to make use of the idea that each of a velocipede's wheels should have only one function: the front should steer and the rear should drive. Manufacturers had not previously differentiated between the 2 wheels. His mechanical mount was presented to the city mayor on the "fêtes du Roi", a festival for the king on May 1, 1843 and he filed a patent a few days later. Thus, alternate pedaling was officially invented. Indeed, today's modern bicycles are still built using the same principle as that found in Alexandre Mercier's mechanical mount.

In the mid-19th century, locksmith Benjamin Geslin was known for his folding iron beds and armchairs. In 1855, he was granted a patent for a mechanical vehicle. His vehicle was the first velocipede to have wheels with tension-mounted metal spokes and axles that turned on tensioners (the predecessors of bearings).

Having noted the disadvantages of the pedal velocipede, now called "bicycle," École Centrale Paris graduate Charles Desnos filed a patent for "improvements to the locomotion devices known as velocipedes." He gave each wheel a unique function, as Alexandre Mercier had done. He also added 2 gears to the drive wheel (one to start off and climb hills and the other to travel at speed), and integrated the foot-powered crank. This design set the precedent for the modern bicycle with a front-steered wheel, a rear drive wheel, a step-up transmission with a belt or chain, and a gear shift in the drive.

Since Baron Drais had invented his running machine in 1817, velocipedists had been obliged to lift their legs up whenever their vehicles gathered speed, mainly when going downhill. This wasn't very practical… Nothing changed with the invention of the pedal, and in fact, matters became even worse, as the pedals spun dangerously. The first person to consider freeing the wheel by disengaging a velocipede's axle or axletree was mechanic François Nicolet. He filed his patent on May 14, 1869 for a "Velocipede with independent pedals and 2 ratchet systems installed in a bronze box fitted into the hub."

Today, e-bikes or electric bicycles have started to appear on the roads, especially in major city centers. However, the idea of the electric bicycle has been around for a long time… On April 28, 1869, Joseph Marié filed a patent for a magneto-electric velocipede. Despite this, we had to wait over a century for his work to be reflected in developments in the cycling, motorbike, car, and heavy vehicle industries. Only now, in the 21st century, has the electric bike finally become a reality.

With his first patent for a women's bike granted, Emile Viarengo threw himself into making several improvements. In 1874, these led to a new patent for a sidesaddle bicycle with rear-wheel drive.

The original 1818 velocipede was designed to make running easier and more efficient by supporting the user's weight. This optimized the action of the legs, however, there was no way to use the arms to help with propulsion. In 1892, James Valère filed a patent for a velocipede propulsion system that used both feet and hands to increase speed, and had a mechanism for steering using both hands. During testing, he met cyclist and future automobile and aviation pioneer Henri Farman and suggested a race. After 330 yards, Farman had fallen behind and couldn't catch up… Although this was big news, the new machine was too complex and expensive, did not achieve the success expected, and never made it into industrial production.

From 1886, velocipedes used endless chains to convert the rider's power into movement, resulting in the first speed bikes. However, there was no mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another. The first person to make a derailleur that enabled the chain to move sideways was Jean Loubeyre, who filed a patent on February 15, 1895 for a bicycle that could change gears while in motion. A simple rotating fork with springs operated by a double lever and 2 rods moved the chain sideways from one sprocket to another and back again. Later, Jean Baptiste Panel (known as Joanny) and Louis Bouiller, who were both associated with Saint-Etienne, modernized the Loubeyre derailleur and filed a new patent in 1912. This system endured and lead to the creation of modern derailleurs.