The Laufmaschine, or walking horse, also called the dandy horse, reproduced here via Wikimedia
In 1817, Karl von Drias, a young and enthusiastic German inventor created the Laufmaschine (literally, walking machine). The machine was designed to grapple with the dire effects of a volcanic eruption that devastated much of Europe, leaving a need for alternative transportation. Originally designed without pedals, von Drais’ design is very similar to today’s balance bike cherished by toddlers the world over.
The Laufmaschine, renamed the Draisine, was wildly popular from the moment it hit the streets, and immediately inspired other inventors and enthusiasts to adapt and improve the original design. The ‘vélocipède’ was born, which once pedals were added in 1864, became an unstoppable force, fast spreading throughout Europe and the rest of the world. It was made entirely of wood and metal and despite the condition of the roads at the time was sometimes ridden for long distances. In 1870, the Penny Farthing bicycle was invented; however it was the 1885 ‘safety bicycle’ - so described because of a lower centre of gravity - with two wheels of even size and driven by a chain connected to the rear wheel and with brakes, that drove widespread interest. Internal hub gears were introduced from 1903.
According to Danial Oakman, a Senior Curator in the People and the Environment team at the National Museum of Australia, in Canberra:
“… excitement swept the world when bicycles became affordable and more widely used from the 1880s. The world went bicycle mad and so, of course, did Australia. The fundamental reason for this revolution was that the bicycle was a technological marvel. For the first time, a person, expending no more energy than walking, could travel at about the same speed as a trotting horse. What’s more - you didn’t need to feed your bike, it didn’t get tired or stroppy, and it didn’t poo on the floor, which was a considerable advance.
“Contrary to popular opinion, the arrival of the motor car in the early twentieth century didn’t diminish our enthusiasm for cycling. In fact, the WWI re-energised opinion in favour of the bicycle and its role in developing what was known then as the ‘national physique’. Social reformers, religious leaders and suffragists all embraced the bicycle as a conduit to a more vital, healthy, and disciplined life. In a literal sense, the bike had quickened the pace of modern life and human physiology.
“So this kind of dual identity emerged. On the one hand, you had people performing extraordinary feats of human endurance on the bicycle, cycling across the continent and between the cities - people like Hubert Opperman and Francis Birtles using the bicycle to explore and settle the continent. And there were plenty of female stars - Sarah Maddocks and Joyce Barry - all setting fabulous cycling records.
“On the other hand there was this ‘matter of fact’ acceptance of the bicycle with huge numbers using their bike as their main form of transport. The period of what I have been calling the quiet revolution really extended from the 1880s until WWII. So for at least half a century, the bike was the dominant form of transport.
“The important point here is that cycling was also supported in the broader culture. It was normalised and valued as an activity at all levels from the elite to school girls and boys. Newspapers were full of stories about cycling, cycling products, accounts of cycling holidays, record-breaking rides, and racing. Particular cultural value was placed on physical and mental stamina, hence endurance riding remained very popular in these decades.
Oakman shares a very powerful anecdote that may resonate with today’s cyclists:
“…Dr Thorne, from Melbourne, was a keen bike rider and he decided in 1889 that he would cycle from Sale (Victoria) to Sydney, following the coast as closely as possible. On the first day of riding, when Thorne approached Bairnsdale, a horse-drawn buggy approached from the opposite direction. He noticed that the horse was appearing to grow restless. The woman driver of the buggy yelled at Thorne to get off his bicycle. He dutifully did and slowly approached the horse, leading his bike past it. As he did so, she shouted at Thorne in what he described as an absurd manner. ‘The government’, she raged, ‘should not allow those things on the road.’ Thorne retorted that she should learn to drive before taking charge of a horse. He then left the scene, as he said, to be ‘followed by a torrent of abuse’.
For many, this type of behaviour from other road users is a daily / weekly occurrence as we ride legally on Sydney’s roads.
The opening of Cyclists’ Avenue in 1900 in Centennial Park, Sydney, reproduced via Centennial Parklands
By 1900 cycling was becoming so popular that Centennial Park opened the Cyclist’s Avenue, five years before they allowed cars in the park.
Both women and men embraced riding in Australia. In fact, many women found the access and freedom riding gave them a greater sense of independence, so crucial during a time when they didn’t otherwise feel that way.
Meanwhile, from 1896, in the adjacent Sydney Cricket Ground, track cycling races were all the rage on an asphalt circuit located inside what is now the cricket boundary fence. One of the leading racers was Major Taylor from Chicago, an African-American who encountered significant attention and, here in Australia, racial vilification. Taylor was the fastest bicycle rider in the world, having won the 1899 World Championship 1-mile sprint race. In 1903, Taylor was lured to Australia by a £1,200^ appearance fee and a world record 1st prize of £750, as he competed in the inaugural Sydney Thousand handicap. 54,000 spectators paid to watch Taylor race under gaslights at the SCG. The Sydney Thousand continues today at the Dunc Gray Velodrome, in a different format.
This environment of road and track racing was fertile ground for the establishment of the Botany Amateur Cycling Club in 1903, a predecessor of the Randwick Botany Cycling Club, now known as Randwick Cycling.
Continued next month….
^ ~$200,000 in 2022 dollars.
Credits:
- Bicycle Network
- Centennial Parklands
- Sydney Cricket Ground
- National Museum of Australia
- The Sydney Morning Herald
- Reserve Bank of Australia - inflation calculator