the.com/velocipede
the bicycle's bone-rattling grandfather, all wood and iron and bad decisions.
means An early human-powered vehicle, especially a primitive bicycle or tricycle propelled by foot or pedals, that preceded the modern bicycle.
from From Latin velox, veloc- 'swift' (also behind 'velocity') joined to pes, ped- 'foot' (the same root in 'pedestrian' and 'pedal') — literally 'swift-foot.' Coined in the early 19th century in French as vélocipède to christen the new pedal-and-push contraptions, optimistically promising speed to anyone willing to risk the cobblestones.
- nickname
- Earned the brutal title boneshaker for good reason
- no brakes
- Early models stopped by sheer optimism alone
- name origin
- Latin for swift foot, generously interpreted
- pedal placement
- Pedals sat on the front wheel directly
- 1860s craze
- Sparked rinks, races, and countless bruised egos
penny-farthing — 1870s bicycle with one enormous front wheel (up to 60 inches) and tiny rear wheel, ridden by victorian gentlemen
boneshaker — 1860s wooden-wheeled velocipede with pedals directly attached to front wheel, caused severe jolting on cobblestone streets
tricycle de serpollet — 1880s steam-powered three-wheeled velocipede built by léon serpollet in france, one of first motorized cycles