Bicycle

A bicycle, or bike, is a pedal-driven land vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. First introduced in 19th-century Europe, it evolved quickly into the familiar current design. With over one billion in the world today, bicycles provide the principal means of transportation in many regions and a popular form of recreation and transport in others.

Types of bicycle

There are many different types of bicycle. See also :Category:Cycle types.

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;By function

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• Mountain bicycles are designed for off-road cycling. They combine relatively light weight with durability, and feature wide-gauge treaded tires, cross-wise handlebars to help the rider resist sudden jolts, and sometimes coiled-spring suspension systems.
• Road bicycles include racing, touring, and other types of bicycles suited primarily for riding on paved surfaces.
• Racing bicycles are designed for speed. They have lightweight frames and components with minimal accessories, dropped handlebars to allow for an aerodynamic riding position, narrow high-pressure tires for minimal rolling resistance, and derailleur gears offering a wide variety of speeds.
• Randonneur or Audax bicycles are designed for randonnées or brevet rides, and fall in between racing bicycles and those intended for touring.
• Touring bicycles are designed for bicycle touring and long journeys. They are durable and comfortable, capable of transporting baggage, and may feature any type of gearing system.
• Utility bicycles are designed for commuting, shopping and running errands. They employ middle or light weight frames and tires, internal hub gearing, and a variety of helpful accessories.

;By number of riders

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• A tandem or twin has two riders.
• A triplet has three riders; a quadruplet has four.
• The largest multi-bike had 40 riders.

In most of these types the riders ride one behind the other. Exceptions are "The Companion", or "sociable," a side-by-side two-person bike (that converted to a single-rider) built by the Punnett Cycle Mfg. Co. in Rochester, N. Y. in the 1890s. Another bicycle rented to tourists in Berlin carries eight people seated in a circle.

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;By general construction

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• A penny-farthing or ordinary has one high wheel directly driven by the pedals and one small wheel.
• On an upright bicycle the rider sits astride the saddle. This is the most common type.
• On a recumbent bicycle the rider reclines or lies supine.
• A Pedersen bicycle has a bridge truss frame.
• A folding bicycle can be quickly folded for easy carrying, for example on public transport.
• A Moulton Bicycle has a traditional seating position, and utilises small diameter, high pressure tires and front and rear suspension.
• An exercise bicycle remains stationary; it is used for exercise rather than propulsion.

;By gearing

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• Internal hub gearing is most common in European utility bicycles, usually ranging from three-speed bicycles to five and seven speed options. But hub gears with eight and fourteen speeds are available as well.
• Shaft-driven bicycles use a driveshaft rather than a chain to power the rear wheel. These are often used as commuter bikes because they eliminate inconveniences associated with chains and pant-legs, but they are less efficient than chain-driven bicycles. Shaft- driven bicycles usually employ internal hub gearing.
• Derailleur gears, featured on most racing and touring bicycles, offering from 5 to 30 speeds
• Single-speed bicycles and Fixed-gear bicycles have only one gear, and include all BMX bikes, children's bikes, crowded city messenger bikes, and many others. The fixed gear has no freewheel mechanism, so whenever the bike is in motion the pedals continue to spin. An advantage of this is the pedals can also be used to slow down.
• Retro-Direct bicycles have two sprockets on the rear wheel. By backpedaling, the secondary, usually lower, gear is engaged.

;By sport

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• Track bicycles are ultra-simple, lightweight fixed-gear bikes with no brakes, designed for track cycling on purpose-built cycle tracks, often in velodromes.
• Time trial bicycles are similar to road bicycles with an extremely aerodynamic design for use in a cycling time trial.
• Cyclo-cross bicycles are lightweight enough to be carried over obstacles, and robust enough to be cycled through mud.
• Down-hill racers are a specialized type of mountain bike with a very strong frame, altered geometry, and long travel suspension. They are designed for use only on downhill tracks.
• BMX (bicycle motocross) bicycles have small wheels and are used for BMX racing, as well as for wheelies, jumps, and other acrobatics.
• Triathlon bicycles have seat posts that are closer to vertical than the seat posts on road racing bicycles. This concentrates the effort of cycling in the quadriceps muscles, sparing the other large muscles of the leg for the running segment of the race. Triathlon bicycles also have specialized handlebars known as triathlon bars or aero bars.

;By means of propulsion

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• A pedal cycle is driven by pedals.
• A hand-cranked bicycle is driven by a hand crank.
• An electric bicycle or power-assisted bicycle assists the rider with an electric motor.
• A moped propels the rider with a motor, but includes bicycle pedals for human propulsion.
• Shaft drive bicycles connect the pedals to the rear hub with a shaft instead of a chain.

;Other types

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• Hybrid bicycles are a compromise between the mountain and racing style bicycles which replaced European-style utility bikes in North America in the early 1990s. They have a light frame, medium gauge wheels, and derailleur gearing, and feature straight or curved-back, touring handlebars for more upright riding.
• Cruisers are designed for comfort, with curved back handlebars, padded seats, and balloon tires. Cruisers typically have minimal gearing and are often available for rental at beaches and parks which feature flat terrain.
• Freight bicycles are designed for transporting large or heavy loads.
• Cycle rickshaws (also called pedicabs or trishaws) are used to transport passengers for hire.
• Velomobiles or bicycle cars provide enclosed pedal-powered transportation.
• Clown bikes are designed for comedic effect or stunt riding, and usually are directly geared, with no freewheeling, so that they may be pedaled backwards.
• A unicycle is not a bicycle, as it has only one wheel, but it is related.
• Tall bikes are (usually) hand modified bicycles that are unusually tall, usually made by welding two more more bicyles frames on top of each other and running additional chains from the pedals to the rear wheel.