The History of Bicycles Reading Passage
The History of Bicycles Reading Passage
Paragraph A
The bicycle was not built by a single individual or in a single nation. The modern bicycle took approximately 100 years and several people invented it. By the time those 100 years were over, bicycles had changed how people travelled.
Paragraph B
Bicycles were first seen in Scotland in the early 1800s, where they were called velocipedes. These bicycles were two-wheeled but without pedals. The velocipede's rider pushed it forward by sitting on a pillow and moving his feet along the road.
Paragraph C
Immediately after that, a French inventor somehow added new pedals to the front wheel. Instead of walking, passengers used their feet to move the pedals of their bikes. Unfortunately, it was difficult to pedal since the velocipedes were so heavy. The wooden tires were covered with steel, and the framework was built of solid steel tubes. Still, velocipedes were popular with affluent young men who raced them in Paris parks.
Paragraph D
Nobody considered using velocipedes for transportation as they were so difficult to ride. People did not ride velocipedes to the markets or their workplaces. Instead, people would think velocipedes are toys.
Paragraph E
Around 1870, American manufacturers noticed that velocipedes were quite popular overseas. They also began building velocipedes, but there was one difference. They built the framework with hollow steel tubes.
Paragraph F
Although this modification made velocipedes considerably lighter, riders still had to work very hard to pedal, even for a short distance. Furthermore, steering was challenging due to the bumpy roads. In fact, the majority of riders preferred indoor tracks where they could rent a velocipede and take riding lessons for a nominal fee.
Paragraph G
To improve the efficiency of pedalling, British engineers made subsequent changes to the wheels. They claim that every time a rider rotated the pedals, the front wheel also turned once. If the bicycle's front wheel was small, it would only travel a short distance with each turn.
Paragraph H
They believed that if a bicycle's front wheel was larger, it would travel a greater distance. So they manufactured a bicycle with a huge front wheel. They reduced the size of the rear wheel. Its basic objective was to help the cyclist's balance. It was difficult to balance since the cyclist had to be seated far above the huge front wheel to reach the pedals.
Paragraph I
This meant that if he lost his balance, he could fall off the bicycle and hurt himself. Despite the obvious risk, "high wheelers" gained a lot of popularity in England.
Paragraph J
Once again, American manufacturers tried to build a better bicycle. Their objective was to design a safer bicycle. They swapped the huge front wheel with a smaller one and placed the drive system in the larger rear wheel. Engineers built a set of foot levers since pedalling the rear wheel would be impossible for a person to do. The rider pushed a long metal bar up and down by pressing the right one first and then the left one. This bar was able to turn the rear axle. More and more people started using bicycles for regular activities as the rear wheel was moved by this axle, reducing the inherent dangers of riding a bicycle.
Paragraph K
One final change was made to the design by the British. They matched the sizes of the two wheels and built a mechanism that spins the rear wheel through a chain. The modern bicycle was born after this final alteration.
Paragraph L
Bicycles were later improved with features like lights, brakes, and rubber tyres to make riding them more comfortable. By 1900, bicycle riding had become quite popular among men and women of all ages. Bicycles changed the way individuals all over the globe rode bicycles for transportation, entertainment, sport, and fitness.
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