Brakes operated by hand levers on some bikes also increased safety. It is regarded as the first bicycle, but it did not have pedals;[18][19][20][21] Drais introduced it to the public in Mannheim in 1817 and in Paris in 1818. A bicycle (or bike) is a small, human powered land vehicle with a seat, two wheels, two pedals, and a metal chain connected to cogs on the pedals and rear wheel.A frame gives the bike strength, and the other parts are attached to the frame. [69] In Europe, especially in the Netherlands and parts of Germany and Denmark, bicycle commuting is common. The bicycle is also used for recreational purposes, such as bicycle touring, mountain biking, physical fitness, and play. They also reduced dependence on horses. ... English Cycles is Rob English, winner of Best in Show at the 2013 North American Handmade Bike Show. Most road bicycles use rim brakes, but some use disk brakes. Human translations with examples: tags, 5 bicycle, korean (0), the bicycle, oriental (0), love bicycle, auto shop (0). Different gears and ranges of gears are appropriate for different people and styles of cycling. [7][8][9] However, many details have been improved, especially since the advent of modern materials and computer-aided design. Road bicycle racing is the second most popular spectator sport in the world. Riders wear reflective clothing to be safer in low light. Many thousands of people are hurt every year in bicycle accidents, and hundreds die. [4][5][6] They are the principal means of transportation in many regions. This, in turn, required gearing—effected in a variety of ways—to efficiently use pedal power. There are four gearing options: two-speed hub gear integrated with chain ring, up to 3 chain rings, up to 11 sprockets, hub gear built into rear wheel (3-speed to 14-speed). more_vert. Lawson, and Shergold solved this problem by introducing the chain drive (originated by the unsuccessful "bicyclette" of Englishman Henry Lawson),[29] connecting the frame-mounted cranks to the rear wheel. Children's bicycles may be outfitted with cosmetic enhancements such as bike horns, streamers, and spoke beads. Conjugate Bicycle in every English verb tense including present, past, and future. For example, some 60% of the world's bicycles are now being made in China. The Golden Book of Cycling – William Hume, 1938. Cyclists are also reminded of the importance of having front and rear lights on bicycles. Soon, the freewheel was invented. [72], Some US companies, notably in the tech sector, are developing both innovative cycle designs and cycle-friendliness in the workplace. A bicycle, also called a cycle or bike, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other… Wearing a helmet makes bicycle riding safer. May 18, 2020 by Editorial Team Leave a Comment. From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Related topics: Bicycles, carts, horses ldoce_023_j bicycle bi‧cy‧cle 1 / ˈbaɪsɪk ə l / W3 noun [countable] TTB a vehicle with two wheels that you ride by pushing its pedal s with your feet SYN bike Can James ride a bicycle yet? [73], Bicycles offer an important mode of transport in many developing countries. Since then aluminum alloy frames and other components have become popular due to their light weight, and most mid-range bikes are now principally aluminum alloy of some kind.[where?] [11] The word was first used in 1847 in a French publication to describe an unidentified two-wheeled vehicle, possibly a carriage. Morris Motors Limited (in Oxford) and Škoda also began in the bicycle business, as did the Wright brothers. It is a Hercules bicycle and it is black and green in colour. The ease of stepping through is also appreciated by those with limited flexibility or other joint problems. In reality, many gears overlap or require the chain to run diagonally, so the number of usable gears is fewer. Suspension seat posts and seat springs provide comfort by absorbing shock but can add to the overall weight of the bicycle. In many jurisdictions, it is an offense to use a bicycle that is not in a roadworthy condition. In India for example a cycle refers only to a two-wheeler using pedal power whereas the term bike is used to describe a two-wheeler using internal combustion engine or electric motors as a source of motive power instead of motorcycle/motorbike. Contextual translation of "bicycle." [108] Alistair Craig, whose company eventually emerged to become the engine manufacturers Ailsa Craig, also started from manufacturing bicycles, in Glasgow in March 1885. Bicycle also has lowest carbon intensity of travel. Countries which require adult cyclists to wear helmets include Spain, New Zealand and Australia. European cycle standards tend to describe minimum safety requirements, while ISO standards have historically harmonized parts geometry.[62]. This bicycle belongs to my brother. Most local bike shops will do such checks for free. bicycle - Translation to Spanish, pronunciation, and forum discussions. [26] The French vélocipède, made of iron and wood, developed into the "penny-farthing" (historically known as an "ordinary bicycle", a retronym, since there was then no other kind). [82], They also served to teach the industrial models later adopted, including mechanization and mass production (later copied and adopted by Ford and General Motors),[83][84][85] vertical integration[84] (also later copied and adopted by Ford), aggressive advertising[86] (as much as 10% of all advertising in U.S. periodicals in 1898 was by bicycle makers),[87] lobbying for better roads (which had the side benefit of acting as advertising, and of improving sales by providing more places to ride),[85] all first practiced by Pope. In most English villages, as we are informed, bicycles are not allowed on the sidewalks; and the hand-books issued by English manufacturers of bicycles caution their customers that it is a forbidden practice, while in many places bells have to be attached to the bicycles even when ridden in the streets. With hand-operated brakes, force is applied to brake levers mounted on the handlebars and transmitted via Bowden cables or hydraulic lines to the friction pads, which apply pressure to the braking surface, causing friction which slows the bicycle down. Ivan Illich stated that bicycle use extended the usable physical environment for people, while alternatives such as cars and motorways degraded and confined people's environment and mobility. Human translations with examples: 1 bicycles, korean (0), in the sun, oriental (0), love bicycle, auto shop (0). As bicycles became safer and cheaper, more women had access to the personal freedom that bicycles embodied, and so the bicycle came to symbolize the New Woman of the late 19th century, especially in Britain and the United States. [59] Training wheels are sometimes used when learning to ride. [43][44] In terms of the ratio of cargo weight a bicycle can carry to total weight, it is also an efficient means of cargo transportation. Bicycle definition, a vehicle with two wheels in tandem, usually propelled by pedals connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering and a saddlelike seat. Bicycle competition includes racing, BMX racing, track racing, criterium, roller racing, sportives and time trials. [64][65] and sometimes even a block of French chalk. [60], Bike trainers are used to enable cyclists to cycle while the bike remains stationary. Meaning and examples for 'bicycle' in Spanish-English dictionary. This design, referred to as a step-through frame or as an open frame, allows the rider to mount and dismount in a dignified way while wearing a skirt or dress. Cycling is so popular that the parking capacity may be exceeded, while in some places such as Delft the capacity is usually exceeded. The majority also have a gear shifter. Saddles also vary with rider preference, from the cushioned ones favored by short-distance riders to narrower saddles which allow more room for leg swings. They also presaged a move away from public transit[107] that would explode with the introduction of the automobile. This was a device inside the hub of the back wheel that allowed the wheel to spin even if the rider wasn't pedaling. Essay on Bicycle in English-I have a bicycle. The front wheel is connected to the handlebar, so turning the handlebar from side to side swivels the front wheel which steers the bike. The most common roadside problem is a puncture. [112] Currently, two billion bicycles are in use around the world. √ Over 1,500,000 translations. A bicycle rider is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Most bikes have two or three chainrings, and from 5 to 11 sprockets on the back, with the number of theoretical gears calculated by multiplying front by back. Later inventors made bikes out of metal only, and made the front wheel very big, giving higher speed. An alternative to chaindrive is to use a synchronous belt. Bicycle helmets can reduce injury in the event of a collision or accident, and a suitable helmet is legally required of riders in many jurisdictions. The most common options are either a rear hub or multiple chain rings combined with multiple sprockets (other combinations of options are possible but less common). Several inventions followed using rear-wheel drive, the best known being the rod-driven velocipede by Scotsman Thomas McCall in 1869. The front triangle consists of the head tube, top tube, down tube, and seat tube. Experiments done in Uganda, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka on hundreds of households have shown that a bicycle can increase a poor family's income as much as 35%. Kick stands keep bicycles upright when parked, and bike locks deter theft. This serves two purposes: to keep the wheels in continuous contact with the ground, improving control, and to isolate the rider and luggage from jarring due to rough surfaces, improving comfort. The name comes from these two words - the prefix "bi-" meaning two, and the suffix "-cycle" meaning wheel. [4] Some bicycles have bells or horns that the rider can use to warn other people that they are riding by them. While some women's bicycles continue to use this frame style, there is also a variation, the mixte, which splits the top tube laterally into two thinner top tubes that bypass the seat tube on each side and connect to the rear fork ends. The wheel axle fits into fork ends in the frame and fork. Learn more. What a road does at a macro level to increase transport, the bicycle supports at the micro level. Some, mainly utility, bicycles use hub gears with between 3 and 14 ratios, but most use the generally more efficient dérailleur system, by which the chain is moved between different cogs called chainrings and sprockets in order to select a ratio.