The Hobby Horse
Have you ever watched a young child ride a strider, or balance a bike? Small children enjoy riding these bikes because there are no pedals and they can push their feet against the ground to propel themselves. Believe it or not, one of the first bicycles was very much like a strider bike. Karl von Drais of Germany created it in 1817.
The bike was made mostly of wood with a seat similar to a leather saddle. It didn’t have pedals, but came with an umbrella for rainy days and a sail for windy ones. It was called a draisienne, although people in England called it a hobby horse.
In the 1860s, they added pedals to bicycles; however, this isn’t what they were called. Bikes during this time were known as velocipedes, which means ‘fast feet.’ These bikes were also called boneshakers because the small wheels made for a bumpy ride.