Bike Lights, Bikes and Development

Dandy Horses, bikes and bike lights

The history of bikes and bike lights is a fascinating one for anybody with an interest in cycling. Man has always sought to make life easier and transport has long been a preoccupation. Attempting to invent a reliable source of wheeled transport was a big challenge in pre-industrial revolution days and many bizarre attempts were made which with the benefit of hindsight we can giggle at.  The very first version of a bicycle was the German invention the “Laufmaschine” which translates as “Running Machine”. These wooden framed vehicles were known as “Dandy Horses” in England and were the forerunner to the modern bicycle. The Dandy Horse was very similar in its silhouette to a modern bicycle but lacked pedals, chain and gears. Bike Lights were not thought of at this point and many collisions with innocent pedestrians occurred in 1819 when the Dandy Horse was at its pinnacle of popularity in the UK. The rider of the Dandy Horse would sit astride the machine and then simply walk or run along the pavement. As the roads in those days were not generally well maintained, Dandy Horse riders would simply take to the paths and knock people over in their quest to save time. By the 1860s, Dandy Horses were largely forgotten due to their impractical nature and a new machine appeared. The Velocipede boasted an adjustable saddle, which in itself was a vast improvement on the Dandy Horses which had to be made to measure. Velocipedes were initially made entirely of wood and with metal wheels and they did not make for a comfortable ride, though they did boast pedals which at least negated the need to run along whilst sitting on the machine!

Penny Farthings, bike lights and safety awareness

Penny Farthings may appear very cumbersome to us with their huge front wheels which appear to make the whole thing look totally out of balance but compared to the old wooden bone shakers, Penny Farthings were far easier to ride and a lot more comfortable due to the addition of solid rubber tyres in place of solid metal. Because of the size of the front wheels which could be as tall as 64 inches, riders were constantly in danger from falling and as the brakes on these models were not brilliant, there were many accidents, some serious. Bike lights of the day were basically candle lanterns, which as one can imagine did not offer enormous visibility to the rider or to pedestrians who might be passing by on the road. The candles in these lanterns were constantly going out and as roads were often in poor condition, riders were at risk of bad accidents should they get caught in bad weather or darkness. Oil lamps which burned paraffin or coal oil soon appeared and pushed candle lamps out of the picture. As far as the bike lights of today go these seem old fashioned but such was their popularity that they were still in common use until the middle of the twentieth century.

Things have progressed so much in terms of bike lights and accessories that the inventors of the first bicycles would be amazed by the sheer range on offer today.