I am not sure why, but when we went to the Henry Ford Museum (which is great!) yesterday I was shocked to learn that the bicycle was invented in the 1800's and that they were wooden, foot powered contraptions with no steering.
I was even more surprised when I found out peddles weren't added until the 1860's, and that it wasn't until the 1870's that a British engineer made the first "efficient" (meaning rideable) bicycle called the "Penny Farthing."
The museum has a huge collection of bicycles and early motorcycles. This bicycle built for two to ride side by side was my favorite (although I am pretty sure it'd be tough to balance). 
And this one with a wooden frame and handle bars came in a close second.
2 comments:
Loved the wooden bikes, specially the wooden rims, frame parts and handle bars. Reminds me of your earlier post. http://gusandotherthings.blogspot.com/2008/10/fast-boy.html
How awesome are those heart-shaped rims? science/industry museums are at the top of my list when I travel and thanks to you, now I wanna go here!
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