Age of the Velocipedes

While it might seem simple and obvious now, getting the rider's feet completely off the ground was a major step (excuse the pun) forward in the development of the bicycle. The rider used pedal-cranks attached to the hub of a wheel to propel himself. There is a dispute as to who invented the machine that became known as the "velocipede," but there is no question as to its impact.
The velocipedes of the mid 1800s consisted of two wooden tires, a front fork, handlebars for steering, a saddle on wooden frame, and pedals on the axle of the front wheel. The velocipede also received a nickname, the "boneshaker." With the rider now completely mounted on the bicycle, he felt all of the bumps -- the early velocipedes were not equipped for absorbing vibrations. It wasn't until the development of the pneumatic tire that this problem was effectively addressed. At around the same time the pneumatic tire was developed (1888), lighter materials began to be used for frames, improving the ride dramatically.