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 The evolution of the bicycle is fascinating from a social as well as technological point of view. In fact, most of the technical innovations were made before the start of the last century, when the basic form of the bicycle that we know today was created. In the modern era, advances in materials science have been the driving force behind developments.
In 1817 the 'Hobby Horse' was invented by Karl von Drais. Made of wood, this was basically like a bicycle with the pedals, gears and chain removed - you pushed it along with your feet, but was faster than walking.
 The Scot Kirkpatrick Macmillan first put pedals on a bicycle in about 1840. In 1842 he was arrested and fined for knocking a child over when riding on the pavement. Pavement riding is still illegal today!
In 1861, Pierre Michaux invented the 'Velocipede' with pedals directly fitted to the front wheel of a Hobby Horse, like a childrens' tricycle of today. The bigger the front wheel, the further you could travel with each turn of the pedals, and the 'ordinary' or 'high' bicycle - called a penny farthing - developed in the search for greater speeds. Later it became obsolete.
 The 'Safety Bicycle' with chain drive and gearing, driving the rear wheel, was popularised from 1885 by the 'Rover', a design by John Kemp Starley. The introduction of the pneumatic tyre, patented by John Boyd Dunlop in 1888, improved rider comfort and helped to encourage public acceptance of the new design.
The design of the bicycle, with diamond frame and equal-sized wheels, straight or drop handlebars, has remained basically the same from 1890 (well over 100 years) until recent times.
 During the 1890's there was a controversy about what clothing was appropriate for women to wear on a bicycle. Petticoats and corsets gave way to divided skirts, and 'bloomers' in America. The style was called 'Rational Dress' in Britain, but long skirts were more common until after the First World War.
Bicycles became a popular form of transportation from the early 1930's when a combination of rising wages and falling production costs finally made bicycles affordable for working people.
The big innovations during the first half of the 20th century were in the running gear, with the introduction of quick-release wheels, derailleur gears and cable operated brakes. The use of aluminium alloy in parts such as wheel rims, handlebars and seat posts helped cut down on bicycle weights.
  Since the 1980's there has been a flurry of technological innovation. New materials such as titanium and carbon fibre have become widespread. Combined brake and gear systems have been developed. And bicycle aerodynamics has become a science, well demonstrated when Chris Boardman won the gold medal for the 4,000 metres track pursuit at the Olympic Games in Barcelona on the revolutionary Mike Burrows designed carbon-fibre monocoque Lotus Bicycle. More recently, Team GB took several medals at Athens 2004 riding a carbon composite bike designed uniquely for the team in Britain - the 'UK Sports Institute', developed with funding from the National Lottery through British Cycling.
Mountain Biking evolved from the antics of a small number of keen cyclists in Marin County, California, north of San Francisco in the early 1970's. The first bikes were nothing like the bikes we see today, most commonly being cobbled together out of any parts available at the time. These original 'clunkers', the first mountain bikes, were built to go downhill, not up, on a descent which dropped 1,300 feet in altitude within a distance of 2 miles. It was nicknamed the "Repack", because the back pedal brakes on the bikes would need to be repacked with grease after each run. 2600ft Mt. Tamalpais is known as the birthplace of Mountain Biking.
 By 1981, news of the "Fat Tyre" sport was spreading fast with Tom Ritchey, Joe Breeze and Gary Fisher all producing frames and bikes on a small scale. A couple of Ritchey's frames were bought by a successful performance road racing tyre manufacturer based in San Jose, Specialized Bicycle Imports, owned by Mike Sinyard. Sinyard and his designers saw the potential in the new breed of bike and within a year had launched what is widely regarded as the first mass production mountain bike, the Specialized StumpJumper. For a full "eye witness" telling of the story of mountain biking, visit the Joe Breeze site.
The advent of the mountain bike saw a massive year on year increase in the popularity of cycling, the bug being caught over here in the UK around 1986.
 Many of the early 'Repackers' are still part of the worldwide cycle industry, running some of the biggest brand names of bikes and parts available today. Gary Fisher, Joe Breeze and Tom Ritchey are still very active in the sport they helped to create.
The past 10 years has seen tremendous diversification, with far more varied designs, tailored for a variety of uses being produced. There really is a bike now to suit anybody's preferred type of riding!
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