The Bicycle & A Lesson in Invention

It was born after decades of collective prototyping by dozens of inventors. Enduring design takes time and collaboration.

The bicycle wasn’t invented by a single person. It was the brainchild of collective experimenting and prototyping by dozens of inventors over 70 years to get to its modern —and enduring— form in 1885.

70 years.

It really puts things into perspective, doesn’t it? The first bicycle had no pedals and was propelled by the riders’ legs pushing off the ground. Inventors across Europe experimented with crank chains, pedals, size of wheels, saddle positions… and collectively, landed on the 1885 design, the Rover, whose design endures to the modern day.

The Rover 'safety' bicycle, 1885 is an enduring design that most bicycles are still modeled after today.

In our day-to-day work, we often obsess over getting to the big ah-ha, the earth-shattering scientific breakthrough, or the final, perfect design form. We often forget that the biggest co-pilots in enduring inventions are Time and Collaboration.

A short history of the bicycle:

The first patent for a two-wheeled, human-propelled machine, a draisine or laufmaschine, was in 1818 by Baron Karl von Drais. He sought an alternative mode of transport after the disastrous crop failure in 1816, which led to the widespread loss of horses. It had no pedals and was propelled by the riders’ legs pushing off the ground.

The draisine had no pedals and was a bumpy ride... but it got you further faster than just with your own two feet.

But this was enough to spark the imagination of many. For the next few decades, dozens of inventors across Europe experimented with features and mechanisms to make the bicycle a viable mode of transport. Pedals were added in 1866, inspired by the cranks of a steam locomotive.

These iterations were neither comfortable (one was nicknamed the Boneshaker) nor safe (the penny farthing had a 4-foot tall front wheel that riders were often thrown off while riding at great speed).

The penny farthing — with a 4 foot front wheel – that their riders would often get thrown off or fall under while moving at great speeds.

Finally, in 1885, Englishman John Kemp Starley produced the Rover, which featured a rear-chain-drive bicycle with equal-sized wheels. The Rover enabled a smooth ride, that was also safe. This design—which was never patented—culminated after decades and dozens of collective prototypes, and endures to the modern day. 

The Rover, designed in 1855