Show Us Your Bike! Trivia Quiz

Answer: Baron Karl Drais

The draisine was a wooden bicycle with seating, two wheels and a frame. In addition to the listed names it was also known as the running machine, for the perhaps obvious reason that it required its rider to run on the ground to propel it forward. The invention initially seemed to take off in Germany, France and England but its lack of brakes lead to collisions with pedestrians, and it received hostility in general.

Due to political instability, Drais was eventually stripped of his wealth and died in poverty, so he would never know just how close his invention was to being incredibly popular. Notably, Drais also invented the first typewriter with a keyboard.

Answer: Rotary cranks and pedals

Although it is claimed that other people, notably a Scottish blacksmith named Kirkpatrick MacMillan, came up with the pedal-driven bicycle first, the evidence is inconclusive for the other claimants. It is a fact Pierre Lallement claimed the patent for a pedal-driven bicycle in 1866, although he is said to have first invented it in 1863.

Adding the pedals helped to propel and maintain the bicycle at speed, but a perceived lack of stability inhibited the speed most were prepared to go to with it.

Answer: Boneshaker

The Olivier brothers were shrewd businessmen who had elected to collaborate with Pierre Michaux under the company name 'Michaux et Cie' (Michaux and Company) incase the business were to fail. They successfully made the first mass-marketed bicycle and the biggest change they made from Lallement's version was to change the frame from wood to cast iron.

Although Michaux called this version of the bicycle the 'Michauline', the British dubbed it the boneshaker. This was most likely due to the fact that riding it was very uncomfortable due to the brittle cast iron frame and hard tires conducting any riding impacts straight through to the rider.

Answer: The wheels represented a larger penny and smaller farthing

The penny-farthing's nickname was coined (pardon the pun!) as the larger wheel represented a penny and the smaller wheel a farthing; both of these were old British currency. In addition to the wheel size being altered, Eugene Meyer also made the frame lighter and, later, Englishman James Starley helped mass-market the penny farthing and was once named the 'father of the British bike industry'.

The primary reason for these changes was to reach the target audience of sporting rich young males. As the pedals connected directly to the wheels, having a large front wheel was seen as a good way of increasing speed. Riding a penny-farthing was dangerous as it had weak steering and no means of braking at high speed as one would be sitting too high up to use their feet. This may have appealed to the young thrillseeking men, but was rather unappealing to the female population (as they could not ride it with their ungainly dresses) and older men who found riding the contraption too dangerous for their own goods.

Answer: Safety bicycle

The safety bicycle's basic design has lasted for over a century without many major changes, and still represents the stereotypical bicycle. In fact, it is surprisingly believed the safety bicycle had previously been placed in competition with the penny-farthing and failed for some years.

James Starley's nephew - John Kemp Starley - developed the Rover II, which inspired a new age and growth in the world of cycling. Its even-level wheels meant that people could use their feet to add ground friction to slow down and avoid collisions. The use of the chain meant that having the large front wheel was no longer necessary as the chain helped transfer pedal power to drive the back wheel forward. This also freed up the front wheel for easier steering, and the diamond frame, made up of two connected triangle tubes, also contributed to the cyclist's comfort.

Answer: Pneumatic tyre

John Dunlop's pneumatic tyre was reportedly made because his son was experiencing headaches whilst riding the safety bike. By inserting compressed air in the rubber, the ride became a lot smoother for cyclists as compared with the solid rubber. Dunlop's invention was also important for the later development of automobiles, as Andre Michelin went on to make a detachable tire based on his works, and said tire was useful as it could be repaired far more quickly then its predecessor.

The principle behind these tires were prominently used later in many kinds of automobiles.

Answer: Suffragettes

Frances Willard, president of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, was quoted as saying the witty statement "I would not waste my life in friction when it could be turned into momentum". Susan B. Anthony, a notable suffragette, was also a great supporter of the bicycle as she believed it helped to emancipate women in several ways. Because in those times women did not leave the house much, the bicycle allowed them to see and visit more places.

It also enabled them to wear more practical clothing as compared with overly bilious dresses and the like.

In general, the bicycle also represented a means of combating the rigidities of life imposed upon them by the upper classes. Whilst their use of the bicycle received a backlash from some, the benefits seemed to outweigh the caveats for the suffragettes.

Answer: For all of these reasons

Cycling is highly efficient and, out of cycling, walking and swimming, is the most efficient use of the body's energy in terms of distance travelled. Whilst there are many factors involved in the exact figures used, cycling is typically between two and four times faster than walking, making it an excellent choice for reasonably short journeys.

As cars typically run on fossil fuels, they emit far more pollutants than bicycles, which emit none. Cars are also made of far greater amounts of materials and take up more space. They also usually require more extensive repairs when the parts inevitably become damaged.

Finally, cycling gives the body a good workout although as ever with exercise one's limits have to be taken into account. Some research claims it reduces cardiovascular stress over a long period of time, although I haven't looked into it myself in any detail so I can't push it either way. Road safety is also an important consideration in keeping one's personal health in good condition, for obvious reasons, too.

Most of this sounds like common sense, but sometimes a reminder of the obvious once in a while is not such a bad thing.

Answer: Recumbent bicycle

As the name suggests, the recumbent bicycle involves lying back somewhat. It uses different muscles to regular cycling due to the altered body position, and is more aerodynamic than a regular bicycle as there is less drag on the body. In addition, the proximity to the ground also reduces the likelihood of a harmful fall. A weakness of recumbents is that they can be hard to steer and manoeuvre, especially around sharp corners.

With a heavy frame and wide tyres, cruiser bicycles are heavier and slower than average, but provide a comfortable ride. They're ideal for someone who wants to focus on the recreational aspect of cycling more than the speed, and were highly popular in the 1930s to 1950s.

Mountain bicycles are durable for off-road cycling and often have suspension, which usually consists of a shock-absorber. This helps keep at least one tyre on the ground, useful for efficient and safe travel over bumpy terrain. Some mountain bikes are more specialised to certain terrain than others, however, so the particular niche role required needs to be taken into account when purchasing one.

The cross bicycle is a hybrid bike which brings flat handlebars to a racing-style bike. In addition the wheels tend to be slightly larger and have wider tires, giving a more general-purpose function to the bike but still maintaining some good potential for speed.

Answer: Keirin

In Japan, the keirin was one of the only legal betting events and was instated in 1948 to increase revenue after a difficult World War II. The word keirin appropriately and literally means 'racing wheels'. The pacer is more usually known as the derny, who is named after the motor-assisted bicycle he rides, and the racers cannot pass the derny or they will be disqualified.

However, it is said that some pacers in more minor events outside of the Olympics ride motorcycles or even tandem bicycles. The derny will speed up as the race goes on, and competitors must also remain right behind the derny, although they can try to nudge past their competitors. Once he leaves, around 600m from the end, the cyclists put the pedal to the metal and go all out to try and clinch the win.

The races are often tense as the jostling can lead to crashes and the final race is often lightning-paced.