The word bicycle comes from the Greek bi and kyklos, meaning “two wheels.”

The first commercially available bicycles were built in France in the 1860s, but the modern “safety bicycle” design (with two equal-sized wheels) was developed in England.

The earliest bicycle-type machine, the Draisine or “running machine,” was invented in 1817 by Karl Drais.

The so-called “Boneshaker” bicycle, with a rigid frame and heavy iron wheels was remarkably heavy.

There are more than one billion bicycles in use around the world, and roughly 100 million bicycles are manufactured globally each year.

One car-parking space can accommodate between six and twenty bicycles.

The fastest recorded speed on a bicycle (in slipstream) is approximately 183.9 mph (296.6 km/h).

The first recorded bicycle race took place in Paris in 1868.

In many developed countries, the majority of car trips are short enough to be replaced by a bicycle, for example, nearly half of all U.S. trips are three miles or less.

A bicycle commuter riding four days a week (about eight kilometers each way) can save roughly 750 kilograms of CO₂ per year compared to commuting by car in Europe.

The earliest air-filled bicycle tires (pneumatic tires) were invented by John Boyd Dunlop in 1887.

The popular high-wheel bicycle design, known as the “penny-farthing,” featured a very large front wheel and a small rear wheel.

The first rear-wheel-powered bicycle was created by Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick Macmillan.

Many early bicycles were made almost entirely of wood.

The “bicycle boom” of the 1890s helped drive social change, promoting greater mobility and independence for women.

In the Netherlands, there are more bicycles than people.

Bicycles currently displace over 238 million gallons of gasoline each year by replacing car trips.

The largest rideable bicycle ever built measured approximately 135 feet (41 meters) in length.

The average speed of the Tour de France winner increased from about 15.9 mph in 1903 to 25.2 mph in 2019.

Early women’s bicycles featured modified step-through frames to accommodate skirts.

The bicycle bell was invented in 1877, with early versions patented by John Richard Dedicoat.

The first mountain bikes appeared in the 1970s.