In the beginning…

According to the Bicycle Pedaling History Museum, almost 200 years have passed since the first rudimentary bycicle-shaped vehicle appeared. It didn’t have pedals, only a pair of wheels mounted to a wooden frame on which the riders would sit and propel themselves with their feet on the ground.

Evolution came in the form of pedals connected to the front wheel, and due to the advancements in metalurgy, the first all metal machine appeared in 1870. As the manufacturers realised the travelling speed was related to the size of the front wheel, they started making them as large as the rider’s leg length would allow. This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle (“two wheel”), and they were also known as “high-wheel”.

Of course there were obvious problems with this design… as thecenter of gravity sits so high above the ground, if the front wheel bumps into any kind of obstacle, the whole bicycle (and rider…) rotates forward on its front axle and throws the rider over the handlebars on his head. This, by the way, is where the term “taking a header” comes from…

Bicycles were not cheap back in those days: they cost an average worker six month’s pay, so only people of means could afford to use them as transportation.

(R)Evolution!

Obviously the evolution of the bicycle has progressed far beyond that of the 1870s. Towards the end of the 19th century, a young doctor in search of comfort for his son, first applied a pneumatic tire to a bicycle, replacing the hard rubber – or wood – wheels used until then. His name? Dunlop. Yes, it might sound familiar…

Modern bicycles might not be so different in form, but they are no longer used solely as a mode of transport: they are also used as recreational vehicles, as well as having a number of sport disciplines fully dedicated to them. As the sport has evolved so has the equipment and the amazing talent to go with it.

Freestyle BMX

As bicycle stunts gain notoriety by athletes such as Danny MacAskill, the level of bicycle stunts increases. With skate and bike parks on the increase throughout the world, it only goes to push growing talent further. If we were ever in doubt on how determined the youth are, spend some time at the local skate park to see the dedication that these rising stars have.

The air tricks to watch for range from a barspin (spinning the handle bars 360º while in the air) to a Toboggan (rider takes one hand off the bars and grabs their seat, then returns their hand to the bars before landing). These take hours of practice on the vert ramps.

X Games

The main competitions for this particular sport is currently found at the X Games. Lisbon has been in the top six bid finalists for 2013, sadly missing out to Aspen, Tignes, Barcelona, Munich and Los Angeles.

Hopefully 2014 will see them here in Portugal!