The first useable ‘bicycle’ was invented in Germany by Baron Karl von Drais in 1817. It was made almost entirely of wood and known as a Hobby Horse. This simple, early version of a bicycle was ridden by sitting in the saddle and pushing yourself along with your feet. When there was enough speed, you could put your legs up and freewheel. Although now what we’d think of as a ‘balance bike’ popular with children, in the 1820s these ‘bicycles’ (sometimes nicknamed a ‘dandyhorse’) became something of a craze among elite young gentlemen in London.
Their design remained basically unchanged until the 1860s, when pedals were added to the front wheel. Although officially named velocipedes, these early bicycles were nicknamed ‘boneshakers’ as they shook the rider around with their hard, solid wheels, often on rough cobbled roads.