Tag: Built

The bicycle was introduced in the 19th century in Europe by German Inventor Karl von Drais. He is credited with developing the first bicycle. He introduced it to the people in Paris in 1818. It is supposed to originate from the human-powered vehicle called Draisines. Drais invented a walking machine that would help him get around the royal gardens faster. It was known by many names, including the “velocipede,” “dandy horse,” “hobby-horse,” “draisine” and “running machine. It had no pedals and its frame was a wooden beam. It had two same-size in-line wheels with the front one steerable and mounted in a frame which was straddled. In 1839, Kirkpatrick MacMillan, a Scottish blacksmith, allegedly completed construction of a pedal driven…

At the start of 2024, a beautiful 4.5km bike lane was constructed through a pine forest start that separates the the towns of Chiclana de la Frontera and Conil de la Frontera in Andalucia, Spain. This lane wasn’t just a pathway; it was a testament to nature-friendly infrastructure, designed to be as far removed from the hustle and bustle of motor traffic as possible. IMAGE: RICARDO GONZALEZ Financed as part of EuroVelo, the European-wide initiative aimed at fostering cycling tourism, this route marked a significant phase in EuroVelo 8, which ambitiously aims to connect Cadiz, Spain, to Athens, Greece, via a seamless 7,560km bike-friendly route. THE FULL EUROVELO 8 ROUTE (IMAGE: EUROVELO) For a brief moment, it seemed as if…

Strange Bikes: Ed Hood has been looking back in time when bikes were ‘innovative’ in very radical ways, and not always for the best. Here is his choice of radical/unorthodox bike designs, some artisan beauty and some just plain ugly.The low profile – The beginning of the end for Stephen RocheIt was Stephen Roche who said that with the advent of the low profile design, bicycles ceased to be beautiful. And whilst todays carbon – or is it plastic as the old boys say? machines are striking, it would be pushing it to call them beautiful in the way you can a 70s Raleigh, Bianchi or Masi. We thought it might be interesting to have a wander through some alternative…