I want to ride my bicycle~

"The bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world."-Susan B. Anthony

http://www.copenhagencyclechic.com/

Only in America can this two-wheeled contraption become a symbol for both childhood innocence and a trend for social consciousness. Although they are more prevalent across the pond, bicycles have put the spin in the hipster's steps and lightened the carbon footprint for many Americans. 

It's amazing how a device that has such a simple presence has caused some revolutions of its own. 

Women's fashion and mobility were changed as the bicycle provided individual freedom to travel. Their long skirts made riding difficult which led to more form fitted clothing. 

Although they are not often linked with horse power, the bike was first invented when poor agricultural conditions led to less horses and a need for alternative transportation. After taking a variety of forms, the standard bike similar to today's structure was popular at the advent of Ford's first motorized vehicles and helped inspire its mechanics.

It is hard to imagine too that the Wright brothers used the bike to achieve mobility in flight and manufactured some of their own to sell. 

Now if the bicycle led people to think progressively, fly, and travel faster than their means, what does that mean for the people using them today? Are they merely vintage? A sentimental attachment? A rebellion against the excessive resources of technology?

Whether acknowledged or not, the bicycle remains an expression of individual freedom and power. Because the machinery does not rely on an outside resource to operate-the work put into it is felt directly if not more by the rider. 

The trouble comes when the rider realizes that despite exhausting their efforts, they can only go so far on a bike. Now here we are worrying over foreign oil, global warming, car accidents, and plane crashes. 

Now back to the bike, simple mechanics-two wheels-handle bars-and pedals. It all comes back to that very American idea that we have the power to change our course and move ourselves forward-or so it seems. 

*info for this post was used from the July 2010 issue of Mechanical Engineering article Credit to the Bicycle by Frank Wicks