My last post was about Arthur Roadhouse, the boy who rode a bike despite having "no legs and but one arm," according to the 1895 article below. Here's the link. Today: Baby Bliss! Baby Bliss became a national sensation at an early age and remained in the spotlight – and in the newspapers – for … Continue reading The Story of Baby Bliss: The World’s Largest Cyclist
Tag: bicycle history
A Cheap Bicycle Is Better Than A Dead Horse & More Bicycle Proverbs
There’s nothing better than a good, old-fashioned bicycle proverb. And so, here are several from the newspapers of 1896, back when newspapers were the social media of the day. Some of these silly cycling proverbs rhyme and several still ring true more than a century later. Quickly to bike and quickly to spin … Makes … Continue reading A Cheap Bicycle Is Better Than A Dead Horse & More Bicycle Proverbs
The Historic Quest to Invent a Flat-Proof Bicycle Tire
The need to develop a flat-proof bicycle tire began a few minutes (or maybe it was a few miles) after J.B. Dunlop, an Irish veterinary surgeon, invented the pneumatic (air-filled) tire all the way back in 1888. Let’s take a look at some of the early, unsuccessful, and sometimes humorous attempts to do away with … Continue reading The Historic Quest to Invent a Flat-Proof Bicycle Tire
Bicycle Toes, the Bicycle Nose & Throat, Bicycle Heart and the Dreaded Bicycle Leg – Are They Real?
My recent story on Bicycle Face is just the start of the numerous cycling-related maladies that afflicted wheelmen and wheelwomen in the 1890s. From the tops of their heads to the tips of their toes, these cyclist mangled, warped and ruined their bodies with every pedal stroke. Or, so it seemed, according to several prominent … Continue reading Bicycle Toes, the Bicycle Nose & Throat, Bicycle Heart and the Dreaded Bicycle Leg – Are They Real?
Do You Have A Bad Case of the Bicycle Face?
In my last post, there was a “bicycle face” joke. And someone asked: “What’s bicycle face?” Well, since you asked … the symptoms, according to an article in the July 29, 1895 issue of the Buffalo Courier, are a face that is “usually flushed, but sometimes pale, often with the lips more or less drawn … Continue reading Do You Have A Bad Case of the Bicycle Face?
The Biking France Blog 