The Bicycle

John Starley built the first modern bicycle, a pedal-powered contraption with two wheels of about the same size that stayed upright more easily than earlier models. But in order to achieve this feat of innovation, Starley had to study the work of other inventors who came before him. And to this day, engineers continue to build upon this history of invention, resulting in the sleek road bikes and rugged mountain bikes ridden today. From Baron Karl Drais Von Sauerbrun’s draisine in the early ...