Bikes in history Archives • Average Joe Cyclist https://averagejoecyclist.com/category/bike-advocacy/bike-events/bikes-in-history/ A Blog for Average People who LOVE to ride bikes! Thu, 06 Apr 2023 20:39:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.1 15693361 How the Bicycle Became a Symbol for Women’s Emancipation https://averagejoecyclist.com/bicycle-became-symbol-womens-emancipation/ Thu, 06 Apr 2023 12:08:59 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=22469 How the Bicycle Became a Symbol for Women’s Emancipation. It was feared that riding a bicycle would deprive a woman of her moral center and lead her into hedonistic lesbianism (the horror!) as she developed and embraced her femininity outside the control of good virtuous menDuring the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women began to escape some of their restrictions by riding bicycles. Despite strong opposition from men, women cycled on, and the bicycle became an instrument of change that subverted the status quo and became a powerful symbol of women's emancipation. In this post, Andrew McLaughlin tells us all about the extraordinary role played by bicycles in women's emancipation.

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]]> 22469 Why do Women’s Bike Frames Have a Dropped Crossbar? https://averagejoecyclist.com/womens-bike-frames-dropped-crossbar/ Tue, 04 Apr 2023 12:08:31 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=23562 A woman’s bike was expected to have a dropped, or diagonal, cross-support, rather than the horizontal one of a man’s bike, in order to mitigate the issue of the raised leg. This came with the secondary, if dubious, benefit of allowing a lady to ride more easily in a full dress. This person was Alice Austen, one of the first female photographers, and a strong advocate for women cyclists (Alice Austen House)Most people assume that crossbars were dropped on women's bikes to make it possible to ride with dresses. However, the primary reason was more scandalous than that! This post traces the design history of bikes with dropped crossbars, and reveals the surprising recent change in the gendered association of the dropped crossbar.

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]]> 23562 Remembering Bikes in Military History https://averagejoecyclist.com/bikes-military-history/ Mon, 25 May 2020 19:42:08 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=33843 A 1891 Columba Light Roadster Safety, which was made in American. In 1891 it was regarded as state-of-the-art bike because it had a rear brake, no seat tube, and cushioned tires. This bike was modified to hold a rifle and ammunition case so that it could be used by American soldiers (Photo: Peter Suciu, Bicycle Museum of America)This is a post and video about the remarkable role that bicycles have played in military history. It's important to stop for a moment on important public holidays such as Memorial Day and think about the meaning of the day. Memorial Day is a day to honor those who gave their lives for their country in military service. But did you know that bikes have played an important role in military history? We are publishing this post to honor Memorial Day.

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]]> 33843 Happy Memorial Day! https://averagejoecyclist.com/happy-memorial-day/ Mon, 29 May 2017 13:30:34 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=23397 Happy Memorial Day to all! It's important to stop for a moment on these wonderful public holidays and think about the meaning of the day. Memorial Day is a day to honor those who gave their lives for their country in military service. Did you know that bikes have played a huge role in US military history?

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]]> 23397 Yes, VIRGINIA, there is a Santa Claus https://averagejoecyclist.com/yes-virginia-santa-claus-2/ Fri, 23 Dec 2016 20:31:11 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=20129 In 1897 an 8-year-old girl, Virginia O'Hanlon, wrote to a New York City newspaper, The Sun, to ask whether there really was a Santa Claus. They assured her that there was. And not only did Santa Claus exist for Virginia, but he was a very smart Santa Claus, with the good sense to give Virginia the priceless gift of a bicycle.

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]]> 20129 Happy Remembrance Day and Happy Veterans’ Day! Bikes in World War I https://averagejoecyclist.com/happy-remembrance-day-bikes-world-war/ Mon, 09 Nov 2015 13:08:12 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=15407 Belgian refugees in Antwerp - a family fleeing the German soldiers on a bicycleVeteran's Day, aka Remembrance Day - World War 1 was the war to end all wars, which unfortunately did not end all wars. Bikes were in the thick of World War I from Day 1. How strange to imagine a world where the soldiers were on bikes, rather than fighter jets or tanks. Read about the forgotten role of bikes in war in this post.

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]]> 15407 #ReplaceBikewithCar – There was a Time when we DID replace Bike with Car https://averagejoecyclist.com/replacebikewithcar-there-was-a-time-when-we-did-replace-bike-with-car/ Sun, 06 Apr 2014 19:20:23 +0000 https://averagejoecyclist.com/?p=5667 History shows us that cyclists trying to get a safe share of the roads from cars in nothing new or extraordinary - this is a fight that has been going of for a hundred years. Previously, the roads belonged to people, horses and bikes. They were furious when motor cars started to threaten their safety and their businesses. Now that some cyclists and pedestrians are trying to take back parts of the streets, motorists are threatened and angry! #ReplaceBikewithCar

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