Newswise — The high-tech bicycles used in today's Tour de France have come a long way from the velocipede, the forerunner to the bicycle from the 1800s.
In the late 1860s, the velocipede, which originates from the Latin words for “swift foot,” had pedals on the front wheel but no drive mechanism, such as a chain on a bicycle. The velocipede was a stepping stone that created a market for bicycles, which led to the development of more advanced and efficient machines. In the 1880s and 1890s, cycling was a popular form of transportation for practical travel and pleasure rides.
The Shire velocipede was donated to the Smithsonian in 1907. This photo shows Smithsonian curator George C. Maynard with the Shire in 1914, an 1879 Shire model that was a later version of the original velocipede. The machine bears a brass plate marked "J. Shire, Patent allowed May 10, 1879, Detroit, Mich." Patent Office records reveal that John Shire of Detroit was granted Patent 216,231 covering "improvement in velocipedes" June 3, 1879.
This item is one of 137 million artifacts, works of art and specimens in the Smithsonian’s collection.
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