Lekcja angielskiego 4: Transport :: reading :: The bicycle

The Bicycle

Several innovators contributed to the history of the bicycle by developing precursor human-powered vehicles.

The documented ancestors of today's modern bicycle were known as push bikes, Draisines or hobby horses.

To use the Draisine, first introduced to the public in Paris by the German Baron Karl von Drais in 1818, the operator sat astride a wooden frame supported by two in-line wheels and pushed the vehicle along with his/her feet while steering the front wheel.

Bicycles can be categorized in different ways: e.g. by function, by number of riders, by general construction, by gearing or by means of propulsion.

The common types include utility bicycles, mountain bicycles, racing bicycles, touring bicycles, cruiser bicycles, and BMX bicycles. Less common types include tandems, recumbents, lowriders, tall bikes, fixed gear, and folding models. Unicycles, tricycles and quadracycles are not strictly bicycles, as they have respectively one, three and four wheels, but are often referred to informally as "bikes".