A bicycle is a two-wheeled vehicle that is propelled by pedals and steered with handlebars. It’s a great way to get around and stay healthy, and you never forget how to ride one once you learn. It’s also a lot of fun, and you can challenge yourself to a race against friends or even compete in races.
A person can use a bicycle to transport goods or people, and it is widely used in many countries as a primary means of transportation. Bicycles are popular in cities, where they can maneuver through traffic more quickly than cars. They are often used by emergency medical services, who carry lifesaving equipment on the backs of bicycles. In some industrial settings, bicycles are also used to transport workers between work areas.
Bicycles are made of steel or aluminum frames, and their components are assembled in factories. In the United States, most bicycle parts are made in the Northeast and Midwest, but they are shipped from China or other countries to major bicycle manufacturing centers. As materials science has advanced and big companies have grown, they have started to outsource the assembly of high-end bicycles.
The bicycle was invented in Europe in the early 1860s, replacing the more cumbersome velocipede. It isn’t clear exactly who figured out how to put pedals on a wheel, but it’s possible that Pierre Lallement developed the concept while working on a new type of carriage for invalid children and the elderly. He may have taken a model of his improved velocipede to America in 1865, where it became known as the American bike.
There are different ways to hold a bicycle, but most riders have their hands locked together at the sides of the frame. This allows them to shift their weight between the front and rear wheels, allowing them to maneuver more quickly. The lock also makes it easier to reach holds that are farther away or in awkward locations. Parents sometimes add rear-mounted child seats or auxiliary saddles to the crossbar for transporting kids, and some bikes have hitches for attaching trailers to carry cargo or a passenger.
To learn how to ride a bicycle, start by positioning your feet on the pedals so that the balls of your feet rest directly over the center of the pedals. Bend your knees and keep them tight, to maintain control of the bicycle. Then push off the ground and start moving your feet up and down. If you’re having trouble getting the hang of it, try putting your weight down on the top foot and pulling up on the bottom foot (think of crushing the holds between them). Once you have that down, switch to the other position and practice.
Cycling benefits people of all ages and abilities, and World Bicycle Day celebrates the role of the bicycle as a cheap, clean, quiet and environmentally fit mode of transportation for everyone. It promotes economic development, reduces inequalities and helps bolster the fight against climate change. But more than growth in production and availability is needed if cycling is to become a viable, everyday mode of transportation worldwide: A culture of biking and urban planning that welcomes cyclists will be essential to its success.