Bikes sample labels

The Beautiful Machine

Imagine the thrill you experienced when you learned to ride a bicycle. Suddenly, walking just seemed so…slow. The bicycle was a ticket to freedom and a way to explore the world using your own power. Just over one hundred years ago, Chicago was in the midst of bike fever. Local manufacturers built the bicycles that opened up the world to the very first generation of riders across the entire United States. Learning to ride this new two-wheeled
wonder must have been a terrifying and exciting experience. Join us as we roll through the development of an amazingly simple, beautiful machine—the bicycle.

High Mount Bicycle

The high mount or “ordinary” bicycle was developed in 1870 by Englishman James Starley. The large front wheel allowed the rider to cover more distance per pedal revolution than cycles with smaller wheels of equal size. Because high mount bicycles were a new technology, they were initially very expensive and owned by wealthy members of society.

Despite the high price of the bikes and danger to their riders, the allure of the high mount made it the most popular model on the market until the 1890s.

During the last decades of the 19th century, bicycles were in their heyday; automobiles wouldn’t become popular until a few years later, so bikes commanded the nation’s attention and thousands of bicycle manufacturers sprang up across the nation—America was in the midst of a bicycle boom.

Bicycles and Roads

During the boom, bicycles ruled the roads of Chicagoland. In the late 1890s, bicyclists were so numerous and politically powerful that they were able to lobby for better road conditions in Chicago and neighboring suburbs. Carter Harrison Jr., soon to be Chicago’s mayor, realized how influential bicycles were and made improved biking conditions an important part of his 1897 campaign.