Bikes
When man invented a wheel, he was mighty pleased with himself. He was even more pleased as he went on to discover various things he could use the wheel for - he could move heavy goods over long distances with just a fraction of effort. More importantly, he discovered that if he could put a platform between two wheels and have it dragged by another person or animal. He could actually travel in style! That was the idea behind the chariots - they were dragged forward by powerful horses and if you needed more power, you just added more horses! How neat is that? No wonder, the term “HP” or “Horsepower” is used to measure the strength of the engines even today.
But as the centuries went by, the chariots disappeared, giving way to unicycles and later on to bicycles. Unicycles, as the term itself explains, had just one wheel and of course, bicycles were those with two wheels. The source of power to these machines was man himself. They moved as fast as a man could pedal! Finally, these good old bicycles diversified into many types, each for a different purpose. That is what we are going to look at, in this discussion. People might not have realized it at that time but the bicycle or the bike, still remains the most favored means of transport for millions of people around the world. That is not all. They are environment friendly because they do not cause or contribute to environmental pollution. Instead they contribute to your health, by helping you burn away unwanted calories and by keeping you and your heart healthy!
It is no wonder that bikes are so popular all over the world. They have been classified either by purpose or by how they are built.
Some of the important types of bicycles are as follows:
The Standard Bike: These are also known as “utility” bicycles due to the number of uses they can be put to. They are largely meant to be used for transportation of one or two people - in the sense that one person rides the bike and the other person can sit behind the one pedaling it. Apart from carrying people, they are used to carry mail and other articles in a basket that is conveniently attached to the handle-bar or the rear frame. They are a popular means of transport for many people - they have been deployed to enable faster deliveries of mails & newspapers and were also used by policemen during the mid to late 1800’s. The period between 1890 and early 1900 witnessed the “bicycle boom” during which bicycles became very popular but this boom died away in the later part of the 1900s.
One of the most popular types of utility bikes was the English Roadster - They are still widely used by men and women in The Netherlands, Denmark, Africa and India. Some of the important manufacturers of these are Hercules, Raleigh, Triumph, BSA, and Phillips.
Folding Bicycles: These are mainly used by people who used multiple modes of transportation. For example, if you have to travel from Point A to Point B by bike and then from Point B to Point C by bus, folding bicycles offered unmatched convenience. You could ride up to point B on your folding bike and then carry your folded bicycle in the bus up to point C and then go on with your job on your bike! It was not only economical but practical too. These were, and still are, slightly more expensive than the regular utility bicycles because of expensive technology and more components involved.
All Terrain Bicycles: These are sturdy and are built for any kind of terrain - mostly for off-road riding. Similar to Mountain bikes, they have heavy and strong frames, wide, treaded tires; and disc brakes. Fork suspension systems were a welcome addition to these as they helped to protect the rider from the shocks of riding off the road. While most of these bicycles came with single-speed systems there were bicycles that had multiple gears, ranging from 18 to 30. But the gear systems had to be in a very small ration due to the nature of their use. Any bike with tires wider than 1.75” are called ATBs (All Terrain Bicycles)
Racing Bikes: As the name indicates, these are mainly used for recreation and racing. They are built of light weight frames and carried drop down handle bars. These handlebars are built this way to improve the aerodynamics and reduce air resistance to the rider. Modern racing bicycles are pretty expensive and can cost up to USD 10,000. These are built out of pure carbon frames and are extremely lightweight and strong. The Cannondale Super Six Hi Mod, Felt Ar2 and the Litespeed Archon Carbon C2 are popular racing bike models. Of course, they come in different variants.
BMX Bikes: BMX stands for Bicycle Motocross. BMX racing was a popular sport with children who raced their bicycles in dirt tracks in Southern California during the 1970s. The bicycles built for this purpose were called BMX bicycles. They had very sturdy small frames when compared to other bicycles and wide tires built for this extreme sport. BMX racing is also recognized as a popular sport by the International Olympics Committee. These are used for racing, dirt jumping, and freestyle cycling. They come in different wheel sizes - the ones with wheel sizes 16” to 18” are generally used for children and the most popular wheel size for adults is 20”, though the sizes range from 18” right up to 26”. They come with extremely strong axles because of the way they are used. In most cycles, the rear axles are up to 14” thick because they have to withstand extreme pressure.