Kerala

Inroads have also been made by television (especially "mega serials" and cartoons) and the Internet.^[53] Yet Keralites also have high rates of newspaper subscription — 50%^[54] — spend some seven hours per week reading novels and other books,^[53] host a thriving "people's science" movement, and participate in such activities as writer's cooperatives.^[45]. A number of formal and industry standards exist for bicycle components, to help make spare parts exchangeable:. These are viewed by Keralites at dozens of stadiums across the state, including Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi and Chandrashekaran Nair Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Another bicycle rented to tourists in Berlin carries eight people seated in a circle. In modern times, attention to these activities has been largely supplanted by more modern sports such as cricket, kabaddi, soccer, badminton, and others. in the 1890s. Other popular ritual arts include theyyam and poorakkali. Y.

Kalarippayattu (kalari ("place", "threshing floor", or "battlefield") and payattu ("exercise" or "practice")) is attributed by oral tradition to Parasurama and is among the world's oldest martial arts. in Rochester, N. Several martial arts are also native in origin. Co. Kerala's cuisine — pachakam — is typically served as a sadhya on green banana leaves; such spicy dishes as idli, payasam, pulisherry, puttucuddla, and puzhukku, rasam, and sambar are typical. 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. Kerala has its own Malayalam calendar — this used for timing agricultural and religious activities. In most of these types the riders ride one behind the other.

The popular music of Kerala — as in the rest of India — is dominated by the filmi music of Indian cinema. See also Category:Cycle types. Kerala also has various styles of folk and tribal music. There are many different types of bicycle. Panchavadyam is a different form of percussion ensemble where up to one hundred artists use five types of percussion instruments. According to participants in Critical Mass, "We aren't blocking traffic, we are traffic!" However, their particular forms of protest has drawn criticism from the broader streams of activism. Up to 150 musicians may comprise Melam ensembles, and performances may last up to four hours. It incorporates the themes of increasing the road- and mind-share given to bicycle transport, and has drawn support from environmentally minded campaigners and other schools of political thought.

Melam (including the paandi and panchari variants), is a more percussive style of music; it is performed at temple-centered festivals using the chenda. Critical Mass is a worldwide activist movement of mass bicycle protest rides. South India's carnatic tradition dominates Keralite classical music; this was the result of Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma's popularization of the genre in the 19th century.^[51][52] Additionally, raga-based renditions known as sopanam accompany kathakali performances. As a consequence, activists from both sides have put aside their differences in order to fight the helmet lobby. Kerala's music also has ancient roots. They cite evidence suggesting that compulsory helmet laws and helmet promotion have been associated with significant reductions in bicycle use and with increases in the risk of death or injury to individual cyclists. Later, such contemporary writers as Booker Prize winner Arundhati Roy (whose 1996 semi-autobiographical bestseller The God of Small Things is set in the Kottayam town of Ayemenem) have garnered international recognition. A recent focus, especially for European bicycle activists, has been opposition to compulsory bicycle helmet legislation.

Parameswara Iyer) are recognized for moving Keralite poetry away from archaic sophistry and metaphysics and towards a more lyrical mode. This is part of the ongoing cycle path debate. The "triumvirate of poets" (Kavithrayam: Kumaran Asan, Vallathol Narayana Menon, and Ulloor S. Some groups offer training courses to help cyclists integrate themselves with other traffic. Malayalam literature is ancient in origin, and includes such figures as the 14th century Niranam poets (Madhava Panikkar, Sankara Panikkar and Rama Panikkar), whose works mark the dawn of both modern Malayalam language and indigenous Keralite poetry. In some cases this opposition has a more ideological basis: some members of the Vehicular Cycling movement oppose segregated public facilities, such as on-street bike lanes, on principle. The men wear a lose piece of cloth around their waist called mundu, while the women wear a golden bordered strip of cloth called saree. They favour a more holistic approach based on the 4 'E's; education (of everyone involved), encouragement (to apply the education), enforcement (to protect the rights of others), and engineering (to facilitate travel while respecting every person's equal right to do so).

The clothing of malayali people are variations of the unstiched drape for both men and women. Other activists, especially those from the more established tradition, view the safety, practicality, and intent of many segregated cycle facilities with suspicion. Additionally, Malayalam cinema has provided Keralites an alternative to both Bollywood and Hollywood. Controversially, some bicycle activists (including some traffic management advisors) seek the construction of segregated cycle facilities for journeys of all lengths. These people look to more contemporary art and performance styles, including those employing mimicry and parody. Many cities also have community bicycle programs that promote cycling, especially as a means of inner-city transport. However, many of these artforms largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not as popular among most ordinary Keralites. Activists in both camps also argue for improved local and inter-city rail services and other methods of mass transportation, and also for greater provision for cycle carriage on such services.

Native to Malabar, oppana combines dance, rhythmic hand clapping, and ishal vocalizations. Such groups promote the bicycle as an alternative mode of transport and emphasize the potential for energy and resource conservation and health benefits gained from cycling versus automobile use. These include oppana, popular among Keralite Muslims. Two broad themes run in bicycle activism: one more overtly political with roots in the environmental movement; the other drawing on the traditions of the established bicycle lobby. Other arts are more religion- and tribal-themed. Cyclists form associations, both for specific interests (trails development, road maintenance, urban design, racing clubs, touring clubs, etc.) and for more global goals (energy conservation, pollution reduction, promotion of fitness). Later, Kerala's culture was elaborated upon by centuries of contact with overseas lands.^[50] Native performing arts include koodiyattom, kathakali (from katha ("story") and kali ("performance")) and its offshoot Kerala natanam, koothu (akin to stand-up comedy), mohiniaattam ("dance of the enchantress"), thullal, padayani, and theyyam. Studies have demonstrated that, due to the high incidence of accidents at these sites, such segregated schemes can actually increase the number of car-bike collisions.⁷.

Kerala's culture is mainly Dravidian in origin, deriving from a greater Tamil culture region known as Thamizhagom. At some point the two streams of traffic inevitably intersect, often in a haphazard and congested fashion. Indeed, a steadily aging population — 11.2% of Keralites are over age 60^[23] — and low birthrate^[37] makes Kerala (together with Cuba) one of the few regions of the Third World to have undergone the "demographic transition" characteristic of such developed nations as Canada, Japan, and Norway.^[24]. Segregating bicycle and automobile traffic in cities has met with mixed success, both in terms of safety and bicycle promotion. These propagate via gurukula discipleship.^[48] They comprise a fusion of both medicinal and supernatural treatments,^[49] and are partly responsible for drawing increasing numbers of medical tourists. Such dedicated paths often have to be shared with inline skaters, scooters, skateboarders, and pedestrians. Aside from ayurveda (both elite and popular forms),^[46] siddha, and unani, many endangered and endemic modes of traditional medicine — including kalari, marmachikitsa,^[47] and vishavaidyam — are practiced. Extensive bicycle path systems may be found in some cities.

Kerala's above-unity female-to-male ratio — 1.058 — also distinguishes it from the rest of India.^[41][45] The same is true of its sub-replacement fertility level and infant mortality rate of 12 per 1000 births.^[20] Indeed, the state's healthcare system has garnered international acclaim, with UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) designating Kerala the world's first "baby-friendly state". Conversely, an absence of secure cycle-parking is a recurring complaint by cyclists from cities with low modal share of cycling. This is the result of efforts begun before 1911 by Cochin and Travancore states to boost social welfare.^[42][43] This focus was maintained by Kerala's post-independence government.^[44][23][25] However, Kerala's unemployment and suicide rates are unusually high by Indian standards. Local governments also promote cycling by permitting the carriage of bicycles on public transport or by providing external attachment devices on public transport vehicles. For example, Kerala's literacy rate — 91%^[41] — and life expectancy — 73 years^[41] — are now the highest in India. In areas in which cycling is popular and encouraged, cycle-parking facilities using bicycle racks, lockable mini-garages, and patrolled cycle parks are used to reduce theft. Kerala's social development indices — elimination of poverty, primary-level education, and healthcare — are among the best in India. In Shanghai, a city where bicycles were once the dominant mode of transportation, bicycle travel on city roads was actually banned temporarily in December 2003.

However, Christians, Muslims, and some Hindu castes such as the Namboothiri and Ezhava follow makkathayam, a patrilineal system.^[39] Kerala's gender relations are among the most equitable in India and the Third World.^[40] However, this too is coming under threat, this time from such forces as patriarchy-enforced effeminization of women, global capitalism, modernization, and "Sanskritization" (the subaltern poor's emulation of higher castes).^[38]. Occasionally, extreme measures against cycling may occur. Nevertheless, there have been signs of increasing influences from religious extremist organisations.^[35][36] Kerala's society is also less patriarchical than the rest of the Third World.^[37][38] Many Keralites — especially the Nair caste — follow a traditional matrilineal system known as marumakkatayam. In the former cases, cycling has tended to decline while in the latter it has tended to be maintained. In comparison with the rest of India, Kerala experiences relatively little sectarianism. Other cities may apply active traffic restraint measures to limit the impact of motorised transport. Kerala's people are most densely settled in the coastal region, leaving the eastern hills and mountains comparatively sparsely populated.^[7] Kerala's principal religions are Hinduism (56.1%), Islam (24.7%), and Christianity (19%),^[34] as well as remnants of a once substantial Cochin Jewish population — most of which made aliyah to Israel or emigrated to other First World nations. Some jurisdictions give priority to motorised traffic, for example setting up extensive one-way street systems, free-right turns, high capacity roundabouts, and slip roads.

Whereas Kerala's population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 — adding 156 lakh (15.6 million) people to reach a total of 291 lakh (29.1 million) residents in 1991 — the population stood at less than 320 lakh (32 million) by 2001. Cyclists and motorists make different demands on road design which may lead to conflicts both in politics and on the streets. However, Kerala's population growth rate is far lower than the national average. monocoque frames, such as used by Chris Boardman to win the Gold medal in 1992 Olympic individual pursuit event in Barcelona, were no longer permitted. Kerala is home to 3.44% of India's people, and — at 819 persons per km²^[33] — its land is three times as densely settled as the rest of India. For example. Kerala is also home to 321,000 indigenous tribal Adivasis (1.10% of the populace), who are mostly concentrated in the eastern districts.^[31][32] Malayalam is Kerala's official language; Tamil and various Adivasi languages are also spoken by ethnic minorities. Their stated motive was so that developing countries could compete in international competitions without requiring large equipment budgets, and to re-focus attention on the athlete rather than the bicyle.

Other than Dravidians, thousands of Arabs, Jews, Portuguese, Dutch, and British have settled in Kerala. These rules met with considerable controversy and to some extent arrested the development of the racing bicycle. Virtually all of Kerala's 3.18 crore (31.8 million)^[30] people are of Malayali Dravidian ethnicity. The governing body of international cycle sport, the Union Cycliste International, decided in the late 1990s to create additional rules restricting the design of racing bicycles. Kerala's unemployment rate is 19.2%,^[27] althought underemployment of those classified as "employed" is a significant problem.^[28][29]. In the past decade, mountain bike racing has also reached international popularity and is even an Olympic sport. Tourism, manufacturing, and business process outsourcing comprise other significant economic sectors. Track bicycles are used for track racing in Velodromes , while cyclo-cross races are held on rugged outdoor terrain.

Home gardens and animal husbandry also provide work for hundreds of thousands of people. Recumbent bicycles were banned from bike races in 1934 after Marcel Berthet set a new hour record in his Velodyne streamliner (49.992 km on Nov 18, 1933). Some six hundred varieties^[6] of rice are harvested from 310,521 ha of paddy fields; 688,859 tonnes are produced per annum.^[26] Other key crops include coconut (899,198 ha), tea, coffee, rubber, cashew, and spices — including pepper, cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg. They range from the one-day road race, criterium, and time trial to multi-stage events like the Tour de France and its sister events which make up cycling's Grand Tours. Agriculture dominates Kerala's economy. Road races may involve both team and individual competition, and are contested in various ways. However, Kerala's Human Development Index and standard of living statistics are the nation's best.^[23] This seeming paradox is often dubbed the "Kerala phenomenon" or the "Kerala model" of development,^[24][25] and arises mainly from Kerala's unusually strong service sector. As the bicycle evolved its various forms, different racing formats developed.

This has resulted in slow economic progress compared to neighbouring states, and relatively few major corporations and manufacturing plants choose to operate in Kerala.^[20] This is mitigated by the remittances of overseas Keralites contributing 20% of State Domestic Product (SDP) .^[21] Kerala's economic productivity and per capita GDP — 11,819 INR^[22] — lags behind that of the rest of India. This began in 1903, and continues to capture the attention of the sporting world. Kerala has a democratic socialist welfare economy. The most famous of all bicycle races is the Tour de France. Keralites, when compared to most other Indians, participate highly in the political arena. However since the middle of the 20th Century cycling has become a minority sport in the US whilst in Continental Europe it continues to be a major sport, particulrly in France, Belgium and Italy. Nevertheless, Kerala numbers among India’s most left-wing states. At one point, almost every major city in the US had a velodrome or two for track racing events.

At present, the UDF is the ruling party and Oommen Chandy is the current Chief Minister. and Japan as well. Kerala hosts two major political alliances: the United Democratic Front (UDF — led by the Indian National Congress) and the Left Democratic Front (led by the — Communist Party of India (Marxist)). Large races became popular during the 1890's "Golden Age of Cycling", with events across Europe, and in the U.S. In addition, auxilliary authorities — panchayats, for which elections are regularly held — govern local affairs. Early races involving boneshaker style bicycles were predictably fraught with injuries. In turn, the Council of Ministers answers to the Legislative Assembly. Shortly after the introduction of bicycles, competitions developed independently in many parts of the world.

Lastly, the executive authority — composed of the Governor of Kerala (the de jure head of state and appointed by the President of India), the Chief Minister of Kerala (the de facto head of state; the Legislative Assembly's majority party leader is appointed to this position by the Governor), and the Council of Ministers (appointed by the Governor, with input from the Chief Minister). The only country to recently maintain a regiment of bicycle troops was Switzerland, who disbanded the last unit in 2003. The judiciary is composed of an apex High Court of Kerala (including a Chief Justice combined with twenty-six permanent and two additional (pro tempore) justices) and a system of lower courts. invasion of Afghanistan and in subsequent battles against the Taliban. In turn, Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker (or the Deputy Speaker, if the Speaker is absent). Special Forces in the U.S. The legislature — the Legislative Assembly — is composed of elected members as well as special offices (the Speaker and Deputy Speaker) elected by assemblymen. There are reports of mountain bicycles being used in scouting by U.S.

There are three branches of government. In the Vietnam War, communist forces used bicycles extensively as cargo carriers along the Ho Chi Minh Trail. Like other Indian states, Kerala is governed via a parliamentary system of representative democracy with universal suffrage granted to residents. Germany used bicycles again in World War II, while the British employed airborne Cycle-commandos with folding bikes. In lakes, wetlands, and waterways, fish such as kadu (stinging catfish — Heteropneustes fossilis)^[18] and choottachi (orange chromide — Etroplus maculatus; valued as an aquarium specimen) can be found.^[19]. In its 1937 invasion of China, Japan employed some 50,000 bicycle troops, and similar forces were instrumental in Japan's march through Malaya in World War II. Kerala's birds are legion — Peafowl, the Great Hornbill (Buceros bicornis), Indian Grey Hornbill, Indian Cormorant, and Jungle Myna are several emblematic species. In World War I, France and Germany used bicycles to move troops.

Other flora includes bamboo, wild black pepper (Piper nigrum), wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm (Calamus rotang — a type of giant grass), and aromatic vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides).^[16] Among them, such fauna as Asian Elephant (Elephas maximus), Bengal Tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), Leopard (Panthera pardus), Nilgiri Tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), Common Palm Civet (Paradoxurus hermaphroditus), and Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Protoxerus stangeri).^[16][17] Reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python, and crocodile. Bicycles were used in the Second Boer War, where both sides used them for scouting. Here, sonokeling (binomial nomenclature: Dalbergia latifolia — Indian rosewood), anjili (Artocarpus hirsuta), mullumurikku (Erthrina), and caussia number among the more than 1,000 species of trees in Kerala. The bicycle is not suited for combat, but it has been used as a method of transporting soldiers and supplies to combat zones. Eastern Kerala’s windward mountains shelter tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests, which are common in the Western Ghats. Paris-Brest-Paris (PBP), which began in 1891, is the oldest bicycling event still run on a regular basis on the open road, covers over 1200 km and imposes a 90-hour time limit. These forests are protected by a decades-old blanket ban on clearfelling. Many Dutch people subscribe every year to an event called fietsvierdaagse — four days of organised cycling through the local environment.

Altogether, 24% of Kerala is forested.^[16] Two of the world’s Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands — Lake Sasthamkotta and the Vembanad-Kol wetlands — are also in Kerala, as well as 1455.4 km² of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. The land is very flat and full of special public bicycle trails where cyclist aren't bothered by cars and other traffic, which makes it ideal for cycling recreation. Its 9,400 km² of forests include tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests (lower and middle elevations — 3,470 km²), tropical moist and dry deciduous forests (mid-elevations — 4,100 km² and 100 km², respectively), and montane subtropical and temperate (shola) forests (highest elevations — 100 km²). One major aspect of Dutch popular culture is enjoying relaxed cycling in the countryside of the Netherlands. Kerala harbours significant biodiversity,^[15] most of which is concentrated in the east. A brevet or randonnée is an organized long-distance ride. The city of Ernakulam (on Ernakulam district's coast) is the state's judicial capital. Bicycle touring involves touring and exploration or sightseeing with the use of a bicycle for leisure.

Kochi is the largest city and considered the commercial capital of the state. Bicycles are used for recreation at all ages. Thiruvananthapuram is the state capital. At the huge Mercedes-Benz factory in Sindelfingen, Germany workers use bicycles, colour-coded by department, to move around the factory. Mahe, a part of the union territory of Pondicherry, is an enclave within Kerala. Even the car industry uses bicycles. Lastly, the Travancore region (southern Kerala) is composed of Idukki, Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Kollam (Quilon), and Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum). In Bogotá, Colombia the city’s largest bakery recently replaced most of its delivery trucks with bicycles.

Kochi (central Kerala) includes Thrissur (Trichur) and Ernakulam (Cochin) districts. In India, many of Mumbai's Dabbawalas use bicycles to deliver hot lunches to the city’s workers. Malabar (northern Kerala) includes (from north to south) Kasargod, Kannur (Cannanore), Wayanad (Wynad), Kozhikode (Calicut), Malappuram, and Palakkad (Palghat). In the UK, this use persisted for some purposes with generations of teenagers getting their first jobs delivering newspapers by bicycle. The districts are distributed between Kerala's three historical regions: Malabar, Kochi, and Travancore. Bicycles have enjoyed substantial use as general delivery vehicles in many cities. Fourteen districts comprise Kerala. The pursuit of suspects can also be assisted by a bicycle.

It is also prone to occassional droughts,^[11] as well as rises in sea level and cyclonic activity resulting from global warming.^[12][13] Kerala’s average maximum daily temperature is around 36.7 °C; the minumum is 19.8 °C.^[7] Mean annual temperatures range from between 25.0–27.5 °C in the coastal lowlands to between 20.0–22.5 °C in the highlands.^[14]. They also have the advantages that the officers are inherently more open to the public, and the transport is quieter to permit a more stealthy approach toward suspects. In summers, most of Kerala is prone to gale-force winds, storm surges, and torrential downpours accompanying dangerous cyclones coming in off the Indian Ocean. Bicycle patrols are now enjoying a resurgence in many cities, as the mobility of car-borne officers is becoming increasingly limited by traffic congestion and pedestrianisation. As a result, Kerala averages some 120–140 rainy days per year. Some countries retained the police bicycle while others dispensed with them for a time. Kerala's rains are mostly the result of seasonal monsoons. The Kent police purchased 20 bicycles in 1896, and by 1904 there were 129 police bicycle patrols operating.

Parts of Kerala's lowlands may average only 1,250 mm annually while the cool mountainous eastern highlands of Idukki district — comprising Kerala's wettest region — receive in excess of 5,000 mm of orographic precipitation (4,200 mm of which are available for human use) annually. However, they eventually became a standard issue, particularly for police in rural areas. This compares to the all-India average of 1,197 mm. Police officers adopted the bicycle as well, initially using their own. Kerala receives an average annual rainfall of 3,107 mm — some 70.3 km³ of water. Bicycle delivery fleets include 37,000 in the UK, 25,700 in Germany and 10,500 in Hungary. In eastern Kerala, a drier tropical wet and dry climate prevails. The Royal Mail first started using bicycles in 1880.

Kerala's climate is mainly wet and maritime tropical,^[10] heavily influenced by the seasonal heavy rains brought by the Southwest Summer Monsoon. The postal services of many countries have long relied on bicycles. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by monsoon rains.^[7] These conditions result in the nearly year-round waterlogging of such western regions as Kuttanad, 500 km² of which lie below sea level. One of the major reasons for the proliferation of Chinese-made bicycles in foreign markets is the increasing affordability of cars and motorcycles for its own citizens ⁵. Indeed, around 8% of India's waterways (measured by length) are found in Kerala.^[9] The most important of Kerala’s forty-four rivers include the Periyar (244 km in length), the Bharathapuzha (209 km), the Pamba (176 km), the Chaliyar (169 km), the Kadalundipuzha (130 km), and the Achankovil (128 km). Despite this shift in production, as nations such as China and India become more wealthy, their own use of bicycles has declined. Lake Vembanad — Kerala’s largest body of water — dominates the Backwaters; it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is over 200 km² in area. Some sixty percent of the world's bicycles are now being made in China.

Kerala’s western coastal belt is relatively flat, and is crisscrossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals, lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters. In recent years, US and European bicycle makers have moved much of their production to Asia. Here, rolling hills and valleys dominate.^[7] Generally ranging between elevations of 250–1,000 m, the eastern portions of the Nilgiri and Palni Hills include such formations as Agastyamalai and Anamalai. Both their model for political organization and the paved roads for which they argued facilitated the growth of the bicycle's rival, the automobile. Just west of the mountains lie the midland plains, comprising a swathe of land running along central Kerala. In North America, the political organization of bicycle enthusiasts, in such groups as the League of American Wheelmen, led to further changes. The Western Ghats rises on average to 1,500 m elevation above sea level, while the highest peaks may reach to 2,500 m. They also reduced dependence on horses, and allowed people to travel into the country, since bicycles were three times as energy efficient as walking, and three to four times as fast.

Here, the Western Ghats form a wall of mountains interrupted only near Palakkad; here, a pass known as the Palakkad Gap breaks through to access the rest of India. In cities, bicycles helped reduce crowding in inner-city tenements by allowing workers to commute from single-family dwellings in the suburbs. Forty-one of Kerala’s west-flowing rivers — as well as three of its east-flowing ones — originate in this region. Sociologists suggest that bicycles enlarged the gene pool for rural workers, by enabling them to easily reach the next town and increase their courting radius. Eastern Kerala lies immediately west of the Western Ghats's rain shadow; it consists of high mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. The diamond-frame safety bicycle gave women unprecedented mobility, contributing to their emancipation in Western nations. Located at the extreme southern tip of the Indian subcontinent, Kerala lies near the center of the Indian tectonic plate; as such most of the state (notwithstanding isolated regions) is subject to comparatively little seismic or volcanic activity.^[8] Geologically, pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene formations comprise the bulk of Kerala’s terrain. A British perfumer marketed Cycling Bouquet, which came in a tiny vial designed to fit into a lady cyclist's purse.

These include the eastern highlands (rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the central midlands (rolling hills), and the western lowlands (coastal plains). In the 1890s the cycling craze led to a new set of fashions, including bloomers, which helped liberate women from corsets and other restrictive clothing. Geographically, Kerala roughly divides into three climatically distinct regions. The evolution of the bicycle had less tangible effects as well, extending early to areas as diverse as fashion and politics. Kerala’s coast runs some 580 km in length, while the state itself varies between 35–120 km in width. In the United States, the League of American Wheelmen was a prominent advocate for the improvement of roads in the last part of the 19th century, founding and leading the national Good Roads Movement in the US. Situated between north latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and east longitudes 74°52' and 72°22',^[7] Kerala lies well within the humid tropics, near the equator. Some bicycle clubs and national associations became prominent advocates for improvements to roads and highways.

Kerala’s 38,863 km² (1.18% of India’s landmass) are wedged between the Arabian Sea to the west and the Western Ghats — identified as one of the world's twenty-five biodiversity hotspots^[6] — to the east. The Morris Motor Company and Škoda also began in the bicycle business, as did Henry Ford and the Wright Brothers. Subsequent radical reforms introduced by the Namboodiripad government favoured tenants and labourers — this facilitated, among other things, improvements in living standards, education, and life expectancies. Starley's company became the Rover Cycle Company Ltd. in the late 1890s, and then the Rover auto maker. Namboodiripad. K. These resulted in a communist-led government^[4] — one of the world's first^[5] — headed by E.M.S. J.

Finally, the Government of India's 1956-11-01 States Reorganisation Act inaugurated a new state — Kerala — incorporating Malabar District, Travancore-Cochin, and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.^[4] A new Legislative Assembly was also created, for which elections were held in 1957. These techniques later enabled skilled metalworkers and mechanics to develop the components used in early automobiles and aircraft. In the same time, the Madras Presidency became Madras State in 1947. Building modern bicycle frames led to the development of advanced metalworking techniques, both for the frames themselves and for special components such as ball bearings, washers, and sprockets. After India's independence in 1947, Travancore and Kochi were merged to form the province of Travancore-Cochin on July 1, 1949 — on 1950-01-26 (the date India became a republic), Travancore-Cochin was recognized as a state. Bicycle manufacturing proved to be a training ground for other industries. Due to this pressure, outcastes were allowed admittance to temples across Kerala. For more information on the technical aspects of bicycles, see also:.

Kerala saw little mass defiance against the Raj — nevertheless, several rebellions occurred, including the October 1946 Punnapra-Vayalar revolt.^[3] Many mass actions instead protested such social mores as untouchability; these included the 1924 Vaikom Satyagraham. Speed changes, making the bicycle/motorcycle stiffer or lighter, or increasing the stiffness of the steering (of which the rider is the main component) can change the oscillation frequency, though only speed change is applicable in the situation. Meanwhile, Malabar and South Kanara became part of the Madras Presidency. If there is insufficient damping in the steering the oscillation will increase until system failure. The Raj then forged tributary alliances with Kochi (1791) and Travancore (1795). The restoring force is applied in phase with the progress of the irregularity, and the wheel turns to the other side where the process is repeated. However, Tipu Sultan was ultimately forced to cede Malabar District and South Kanara, (including today’s Kasargod District) to the Raj in 1792 and 1799, respectively. Some otherwise minor irregularity accelerates the wheel to one side.

Ali’s successor, Tipu Sultan, launched in the late 18th century numerous campaigns against the growing British Raj, resulting in two of the four Anglo-Mysore Wars. This shimmy is often seen in shopping cart front wheels. Meanwhile, Mysore’s Hyder Ali conquered northern Kerala, capturing Kozhikode in 1766. While the wobbles can be easily remedied by slowing down, adjusting position, or relaxing one's grip on the handlebars, speed wobbles can be fatal. In turn, the Dutch were ousted at the 1741 Battle of Kulachal by Marthanda Varma of Thiruvithamcoore (Travancore), who received aid from the British. At higher speeds bicycles can also experience speed wobbles or shimmies, where the front wheel spontaneously oscillates to the left and right. Later conflicts between the cities of Kozhikode (Calicut) and Kochi (Cochin), however, provided an opportunity for the Dutch oust the Portuguese. [1] [2].

While seeking to convert Nasranis to Roman Catholicism, they also established fortresses and settlements, thereby ending an Arab trade monopoly. Positive trail - found on typical bicycles - creates positive stability by steering the contact patch back under the CG of the bicycle and rider. More than 1,100 years later, Vasco da Gama’s 1498-05-20 arrival inaugurated a period of Portuguese colonial administration, with the goal of controlling a lucrative spice trade. Zero trail (as in a unicycle) requires constant rider adjustment. Later, in 345 CE, Kerala’s Nasrani community was founded by Jewish Christian settlers under a Jewish merchant Knai Thomman. Negative trail (rolling a bicycle backwards) results in immediate steering problems. Later arrivals included Muslim Arab merchants in the 8th century, while a disputed theory has Christianity arriving with Apostle Thomas in 52 CE. The moment due to trail and the weight of the bicycle will turn the front wheel in the direction of the turn.

In subsequent centuries, settlers from abroad established Kerala's Jewish community. One can see the effect that trail has by simply holding a bicycle by the seat and leaning it. Later, figures such as Katyayana, Patanjali, Pliny the Elder, and the unknown author of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea all displayed familiarity with Kerala. The greater the amount of trail, the greater the reaction. In written records, Kerala was first mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Aitareya Aranyaka. This is the distance between the point of contact the front wheel makes with the ground and the place the steering axis makes contact with the ground. A Keralite identity, distinct from the Tamils and associated with the second Chera empire and the development of Malayalam, evolved during the 8th–14th centuries. Stability is also influenced by a geometric factor called trail.

Allied with the Pallavas, they continually warred against the neighboring Chola and Pandya kingdoms. Jones found he could ride this bike with no difficulty, but did discover that without a rider the non-gyroscopic bike fell over much faster than a regular bike. The ancient Chera empire, whose court language was Tamil, ruled Kerala from their capital at Vanchi and was the first major recorded kingdom. By gearing this wheel to the regular front wheel so that it spun in the opposite direction at equal speed, the net angular momentum of both wheels together was close to zero. Later, Kerala became a linguistically separate region by the early 14th century. Jones, whose series of "URBs" ("unrideable bikes" with various modifications to the front end) included a bike which cancelled the gyroscopic effect of the front wheel by dint of attaching a second wheel to his front forks (alongside the regular wheel) whose lower edge was about an inch (25 mm) above the ground. These were produced by speakers of a proto-Tamil language.^[1] Thus, Kerala and Tamil Nadu once shared a common language, ethnicity, and culture. H.

Legend states that Kerala was created by an act of Parasurama, an avatar of Mahavishnu.^[1][2] Meanwhile, historians note the 10th century BCE emergence of prehistoric pottery and granite burial monuments — which resemble their counterparts in Western Europe and the rest of Asia. That gyroscopic effects are unimportant at normal cycling speeds was shown by physicist and researcher into bicycle stability David E. . Conversely, a bicycle whose steering fork is locked in a perfectly straight ahead position is virtually impossible to balance. Another theory has the name originating from the phrase chera alam ("land of the Chera"). These forces, perhaps aided at very high speeds by the gyroscopic effect of the spinning wheels,⁴ are sufficiently strong that a riderless bicycle going down a slope will stay upright by itself. Natives of Kerala — "Keralites" — thus refer to their land as Keralam. Like the rider's steering adjustments, this motion automatically returns the contact point of the wheel directly under the center of gravity.

Accounts of the etymology underlying "Kerala" differ; according to the prevailing theory, it as an imperfect portmanteau that fuses kera ("coconut palm tree") and alam ("land" or "location"). Once underway, this effort is largely replaced by physical forces generated by the rotation of the wheels which produce a remarkable "self-steering" effect.³ The angular momentum of the wheels and the torque applied to them by the ground generates a phenomenon called precession, by which the wheel turns, or trails, toward whichever side the bicycle tilts. More than a millennium of overseas contact and trade culminated in four centuries of struggle between and among multiple colonial powers and native Keralite states, a period whose end saw on January 11, 1956 the final formation of the modern-day state of Kerala. A rider stays upright on a bicycle by steering the bicycle so that the point where the wheels touch the ground stays underneath the center of gravity. Subsequent contact with the Mauryan Empire spurred development of new Keralite polities, including the Cheran kingdom and feudal Namboothiri Brahminical city-states. These changes can impact performance dramatically, cutting minutes off a time trial. Only then did tribes of megalith-building proto-Tamil speakers from northwestern India settle in Kerala. For this reason more recent designs have concentrated on lowering wind resistance, using aerodynamically shaped tubing, flat spokes on the wheels, and handlebars that allow the rider to bend over into the wind.

Prehistoric Kerala's rainforests and wetlands, then thick with malaria-bearing mosquitoes and man-eating tigers, were largely avoided by Neolithic humans; indeed, no evidence of habitation prior to around 1,000 BCE exists. For instance, lowering a bike's weight by 1 kg, a major effort considering they may weigh less than 15 kg to start with, will have the same effect over a 40 km time trial as removing a protrusion into the air the size of a pencil. With a 73-year life expectancy and a 91% literacy rate, Kerala is also one of India's healthiest and best-educated states. In measured tests these components have almost no effect on cycling performance. With a population of around 3.18 crore (31.8 million) and 819 persons per km², Kerala is among India's most densely populated regions. Additionally, advanced wheels are available with low-friction bearings and other features to lower road resistance. Kerala also envelops Mahé, a coastal exclave of the Union Territory of Pondicherry. There has been major corporate competition to lower the weight of racing bikes through the use of advanced materials and components.

Kerala borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to the east and northeast; to the west and south lie the Indian Ocean islands of Lakshadweep and the Maldives, respectively. This stands as the official record for all human-powered vehicles. Kerala (IPA: ['kɛrʌɹlʌ]; Malayalam: കേരളം — Keralam) is a state on the southwestern tropical Malabar Coast of India. The highest speed ever officially attained on the flat, without using motor pacing and wind-blocks, is by Canadian Sam Whittingham, who in 2002 set a 130.36 km/h (81.00 mph) record on his highly aerodynamic recumbent bicycle. On a fast racing bicycle, a reasonably fit rider can ride at 50 km/h (30 mph) on flat ground for short periods. Typical speeds for bicycles are 16 to 32 km/h (10 to 20 mph).

Even at moderate speeds, most cycling energy is spent in overcoming aerodynamic drag, which increases with the square of speed; therefore, power needs increase approximately with the cube of speed. Elite track sprinters are able to attain an instantaneous maximum output of around 2,000 watts, or in excess of 25 watts/kg; elite road cyclists may produce 1,600 to 1,700 watts as an instantaneous maximum in their burst to the finish line at the end of a five-hour long road race. The average "in-shape" man can produce about 3 watts/kg for more than an hour (e.g., around 200 watts for a 70 kg rider), with top amateurs producing 5 watts/kg and elite athletes achieving 6 watts/kg for similar lengths of time. However, because of its efficiency, cycling requires a longer distance, and often greater time, than running to consume the same amount of energy.

For many people whose running might be limited by muscle and knee pain, cycling offers comparable outdoor exercise that can be enjoyed by people of a wide range of fitness levels: it is a "no-impact" sport that is easy on the body as long as the bike is properly "fit." In addition, since bicycling can also provide convenient transportation, less self-discipline may be required to keep to the activity, since it has a practical purpose. Generally used figures are. That same man on a bicycle, on the same ground, with the same power output, can average 25 km/h, so energy expenditure in terms of kcal/kg/km is roughly one-fifth as much. On firm, flat, ground, a 70 kg man requires about 100 watts to walk at 5 km/h.

In terms of the ratio of cargo weight a bicycle can carry to total weight, it is also a most efficient means of cargo transportation. In terms of the amount of energy a person must expend to travel a given distance, investigators have calculated it to be the most efficient self-powered means of transportation.¹ From a mechanical viewpoint, up to 99% of the energy delivered by the rider into the pedals is transmitted to the wheels, although the use of gearing mechanisms may reduce this by 10-15% ^{2 9}. In both biological and mechanical terms, the bicycle is extraordinarily efficient. Others maintain their own bicycles, enhancing their enjoyment of the hobby of cycling.

Some bicycle parts, particularly hub-based gearing systems, are complex, and many prefer to leave maintenance and repairs to professionals. More specialised parts now require more complex tools, including proprietary tools specific for a given manufacturer. A single tool once sufficed for most repairs. Many cyclists carry tool kits, containing at least a tire patch kit, tire levers, and spanners.

No correlation between decreased injury rates and helmet use has been demonstrated in whole populations. Outside the West, use of helmets by utility cyclists is practically unknown. In Australia and New Zealand, and parts of Canada, helmets are required by law. federal law requires helmets, many states require children to wear them, and some municipalities require them for all riders.

While no U.S. In North America a significant minority, possibly up to 25% of bicyclists, wear helmets. In most countries where cycling is common, bicycle helmet use is negligible. Toe-clips help to keep the foot planted firmly on the pedals, and enable the cyclist to pull as well as push the pedals.

Technical accessories include solid-state speedometers and odometers for measuring distance. Other accessories include lights, pump, lock, and additional (pedal or wheel-mounted) reflectors. Parents sometimes add rear-mounted child seats and/or an auxiliary saddle fitted to the crossbar to transport children. Rear racks or carriers can be used to carry items such as school satchels.

Front-mounted wicker or steel baskets for carrying goods are often used. Kick stands help with parking. Chainguards and mudguards, or fenders, protect clothes and moving parts from oil and spray. Utility bicycles have many standard features which enhance their usefulness and comfort that would be considered accessories on sports bicycles.

For these reasons, one must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using a hydraulic system versus a mechanical system. This is due to the brake losing its ability to transmit force through incompressible fluids, since some of it has become a gas, which is compressible. Also, the hydraulic fluid may boil on steep, continuous downhills. However, since hydraulic disc brakes usually require relatively specialized tools to bleed the brake systems, repairs on the trail are difficult to perform, whereas mechanical disc brakes rarely fail.

Hydraulic disc brake systems generally keep contaminants out better. Mechanical disc brakes have less modulation than hydraulic disc brake systems, and since the cable is usually open to the outside, mechanical disc brakes tend to pick up small bits of dirt and grit in the cable lines when ridden in harsh terrain. Two main disc brake systems exist: hydraulic and mechanical (cable-actuated). The use of tires as large as 3.0 inches in width also makes disc brakes a necessity, as rim brakes simply cannot straddle a tire that wide.

The advantages of discs make them well-suited to steep, extended downhills through wet and muddy off-road terrain, which falls under the category of downhill and freeride bicycle riding. In the late 1990s, disc brakes appeared on some off-road bicycles, tandems and recumbent bicycles, but are considered impractical on road bicycles, which rarely encounter conditions where the advantages of discs are significant. With hand-operated brakes, force is applied to brake handles mounted on the handle bars and then transmitted via Bowden cables to the friction pads. Hub drum brakes do not cope well with extended braking, so rim brakes are favoured in hilly terrain.

A rear hub brake may be either hand-operated or pedal-actuated, as in the back pedal coaster brakes which were the rule in North America until the 1960s. Bicycle brakes are either rim brakes, in which friction pads are compressed against the wheel rims, internal hub brakes, in which the friction pads are contained within the wheel hubs, or disc brakes. The reclined, low seating position does provide increased aerodynamics over standard seating. Recumbent bicycles have more chair-like seats, and so are much more comfortable to ride, although generally slower up hills due to this positioning.

For racing bikes where the rider is bent over, weight is more evenly distributed between the handlebars and saddle, and the hips are flexed, and a narrower and harder saddle is more efficient. With comfort bikes and hybrids the cyclist sits high over the seat, their weight directed down onto the saddle, such that a wider and more cushioned saddle is preferable. Comfort depends on riding position. Seats, or saddles, also vary with rider preference, from the cushioned ones favoured by short-distance riders to narrower seats which allow more free leg swings.

The Bullhhorn was banned from ordinary road racing because it is considered there is less fine control in bike traffic. These are usually used in conjunction with the aero bar, a pair of forward-facing extensions spaced close together, to promote better aerodynamics. Bullhorn style handlebars are often seen on modern time trial bicycles, equipped with two forward-facing extensions, allowing a rider to rest his entire forearm on the bar. Variations on these styles exist.

Mountain bikes feature a crosswise handlebar, which helps prevent the rider from pitching over the front in case of sudden deceleration. Racing handlebars are "dropped", offering the cyclist either an aerodynamic "hunched" position or a more upright posture in which the hands grip the brake lever mounts. Touring handlebars, the norm in Europe and elsewhere until the 1970s, curve gently back toward the rider, offering a natural grip and comfortable upright position. Three styles of handlebar are common.

The handlebars rotate the fork and the front wheel via the stem, which articulates with the headset. Retro-Direct drivetrains used on some early 20th century bicycles have been resurrected by bicycle hobbyists. This also results in increased wear because of the lateral deflection of the chain. Derailleur efficiency is also compromised with cross-chaining, or running large-ring to large-cog or small-ring to small-cog.

Efficiency generally decreases with smaller cog sizes because the chain must bend more sharply as it rolls on and off the cog, and it also forms a sharp angle at the chain tensioner⁹. In derailleur mechanisms the highest efficiency is achieved by the larger cogs. Derailleur type mechanisms fare better, with a typical mid-range product (of the sort used by serious amateurs) achieving between 88% and 99% efficiency at 100W. Which ratios are best and worst depends on the specific model of hub gear.

In a typical hub gear mechanism the mechanical efficiency will be between 82% and 92% depending on the ratio selected. The efficiency varies considerably with the gear ratio being used. While generally variable ratio gear mechanisms are essential for human efficiency, they do reduce mechanical efficiency. Fixed-gear track racing bikes have transmission efficiencies of over 99% (nearly all the energy put in at the pedals ends up at the wheel).

Mountain bikes and most entry-level road racing bikes may offer an extremely low gear to facilitate climbing slowly on steep hills. Road bicycles have close set multi-step gearing, which allows very fine control of cadence, while utility cycles offer fewer, more widely spaced speeds. Internal hub gearing still predominates in some regions, particularly on utility bikes, whereas in other regions, such as the USA, external derailleur systems predominate. However, they may be heavier and/or more expensive, and often do not offer the same range or number of gears.

Internal hub gears are much less affected by adverse weather conditions than derailleurs, and often last longer and require less maintenance. The gear systems are hand-operated, via cables (or rarely, hydraulics), and are of two types. Since cyclists' legs produce a limited amount of power most efficiently over a narrow range of cadences, a variable gear ratio is needed to maintain an optimum pedaling speed while covering varied terrain. Between the chain and rear wheel may be interspersed various gearing systems, described below, which vary the number of rear wheel revolutions produced by each turn of the pedals.

Attached to the crank is the chainring which drives the chain, which in turn rotates the rear wheel via the rear sprockets. The drivetrain begins with pedals which rotate the crankset, which fit into the bottom bracket. More expensive carbon fibre and titanium frames are now also available, as well as advanced steel alloys. In the 1980s aluminium alloy frames became popular, and their affordability now makes them common.

Celluloid found application in mudguards, and aluminium alloys are increasingly used in components such as handlebars, seat stems (also known as seatposts), and brake levers. Since the late 1930s alloy steels have been used for frame and fork tubes in higher quality machines. Historically, materials used in bicycles have followed a similar pattern as in aircraft, the goal being strength and low weight. Although some women's bicycles continue to use this frame style, there is also a hybrid form, the mixte or step-through frame, which also allows easier mounting and dismounting for both male and female riders.

This allowed the rider to dismount while wearing a skirt or dress. Historically, women's bicycle frames had a top tube that connected in the middle of the seat tube instead of the top, resulting in a lower standover height. The seat stays connect the top of the seat tube (often at or near the same point as the top tube) to the rear dropouts. The chain stays run parallel to the chain, connecting the bottom bracket to the rear dropouts.

The rear triangle consists of the seat tube and paired chain stays and seat stays. The top tube connects the head tube to the seat tube at the top, and the down tube connects the head tube to the bottom bracket. The head tube contains the headset, the interface with the fork. The front triangle consists of the head tube, top tube, down tube and seat tube.

Nearly all modern upright bicycles feature the diamond frame, composed of two triangles: the front triangle and the rear triangle. Since a moving bicycle makes very little noise, in many countries bicycles must have a warning bell for use when approaching pedestrians, equestrians and other bicyclists. As some generator or dynamo-driven lamps only operate while moving, rear reflectors are frequently also mandatory. In some places, bicycles must have functioning front and rear lights or lamps.

In many jurisdictions it is an offence to use a bicycle that is not in roadworthy condition and which does not have functioning front and rear brakes. The traffic codes of many countries reflect these definitions and demand that a bicycle satisfy certain legal requirements, including licencing, before it can be used on public roads. The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic considers a bicycle to be a vehicle, and a person controlling a bicycle is considered a driver. Manufacturers responded with the hybrid bicycle, which restored many of the features long enjoyed by riders of the time-tested European utility bikes.

These task-specific designs led many American recreational cyclists to demand a more comfortable and practical product. In the late 1980s the mountain bike became particularly popular, and in the 1990s something of a major fad. By the 1980s these newer designs had driven the three-speed bicycle from the roads. While 10-speeds were the rage in the 1970s, 12-speed designs were introduced in the 1980s, and today most bikes feature 18 or more speeds.

Sales were also helped by a number of technical innovations that were new to the US market, including higher performance steel alloys and gearsets with an increasing number of gears. Bicycle sales in the United States boomed, largely in the form of the racing bicycles long used in such events as the hugely popular Tour de France. In North America, increasing consciousness of physical fitness and environmental preservation spawned a renaissance of bicycling in the late 1960s. Especially in Amsterdam they are often colourfully painted and/or otherwise decorated.

In the Netherlands, such so-called 'granny bikes' have remained popular, and are again in production. In other parts of the world however, such as China, India, and European countries such as Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands, the traditional utility bicycle remained a mainstay of transportation, its design only gradually changing to incorporate hand-operated brakes and internal hub gears allowing up to seven speeds. In North America, bicycle sales declined markedly after 1905, to the point where by the 1940s, they had largely been relegated to the role of children's toys. In many western countries the use of bicycles levelled off or declined, as motorized transportation became affordable and car-centred policies led to an increasingly hostile road environment for bicycles.

By the mid-20th century bicycles had become the primary means of transportation for millions of people around the globe. Facilitated by connections between European nations and their overseas colonies, European-style bicycles were soon available worldwide. Schwinn bicycles soon featured widened tires and spring-cushioned, padded seats, sacrificing some efficiency for increased comfort. Schwinn emigrated to the United States, where he founded his similarly successful company in Chicago in 1895.

Bowden started the Raleigh company in Nottingham in the 1890s, and soon was producing some 30,000 bicycles a year. Successful early bicycle manufacturers included Englishman Frank Bowden and German builder Ignaz Schwinn. By the turn of the century, bicycling clubs flourished on both sides of the Atlantic, and touring and racing were soon the rage. Derailleur gears and hand-operated, cable-pull brakes were also developed during these years, but were only slowly adopted by casual riders.

This refinement led to the 1898 invention of coaster brakes. Shortly thereafter the rear freewheel was developed, enabling the rider to coast without the pedals spinning out of control. In 1888 Scotsman John Boyd Dunlop introduced the pneumatic tire, which soon became universal. The next innovations increased comfort and ushered in the 1890s Golden Age of Bicycles.

While the Starley design was much safer, the return to smaller wheels made for a bumpy ride. Soon the seat tube was added, creating the double-triangle, diamond frame of the modern bike. Starley's 1885 Rover is usually described as the first recognizably modern bicycle. These models were known as dwarf safeties, or safety bicycles, for their lower seat height and better weight distribution.

Lawson, and Shergold solved this problem by introducing the chain and producing rear-wheel drive. H. Starley, J. K.

Starley's nephew, J. Having to both pedal and steer via the front wheel remained a problem. The subsequent dwarf ordinary addressed some of these faults, by adding gearing, reducing the front wheel diameter, and setting the seat further back with no loss of speed. The primitive bicycles of this generation were difficult to ride, and the high seat and poor weight distribution made for dangerous falls.

British cyclists likened the disparity in size of the two wheels to their coinage, nicknaming it the penny-farthing. With tires of solid rubber, his machine became known as the ordinary. He mounted the seat more squarely over the pedals, so that the rider could push more firmly, and further enlarged the front wheel to increase the potential for speed. The Boneshaker was further refined by James Starley in the 1870s.

Lallement emigrated to America, where he recorded a patent on his bicycle in 1866 in New Haven, Connecticut. Their creation, which came to be called the "Boneshaker", featured a heavy steel frame on which they mounted wooden wheels with iron tires. In the 1850s and 1860s, Frenchman Ernest Michaux and his pupil Pierre Lallement took bicycle design in a different direction, placing pedals on an enlarged front wheel. However, some reports describe MacMillan's vehicle as more of a "quadricycle".

Scottish blacksmith Kirkpatrick MacMillan shares creative credit with von Drais for adding a treadle drive mechanism, in 1840, that enabled the rider to lift his feet off the ground while driving the rear wheel. These were pushbikes, powered by the action of the rider's feet pushing against the ground. He patented his draisine, a number of which still exist, including one at the Paleis het Loo museum in Apeldoorn, the Netherlands. The most likely originator of the bicycle is German Baron Karl von Drais, who rode his 1817 machine while collecting taxes from his tenants.

Most bicycle historians now believe that these hobby-horses with no steering mechanism probably never existed, but were made up by Louis Baudry de Saunier, a 19th-century French bicycle historian. One of these, the scooter-like dandy horse of the French Comte de Sivrac, dating to 1790, was long cited as the earliest bicycle. Its earliest known forebears were called velocipedes, and included many types of human-powered vehicles. No single time or person can be identified with the invention of the bicycle.

. A recurrent theme in bicycling has been the tension between bicyclists and drivers of motor vehicles, each group arguing for its fair share of the world's roadways. Beyond recreation and transportation, bicycles have been adapted for use in many occupations, including the military, local policing, courier services, and sports. In its early years, bicycle construction drew on pre-existing technologies; more recently, bicycle technology has contributed, in turn, to other, newer areas.

The bicycle has affected history considerably in both the cultural and industrial realms. A bicycle in which the rider lies in a prone position and which may be covered in an aerodynamic fairing to achieve very low air drag is referred to as a Recumbent_bicycle or Human Powered Vehicle. Air drag, which increases with the square of speed, requires increasingly higher power outputs relative to speed. A human being travelling on a bicycle at low to medium speeds of around 10-15 mph (16-24 kph), using only the energy required to walk, is the most energy-efficient means of transport generally available.

as a Child's toy, in adult recreation and fitness, as a means of everyday transport, in cyclo-touring, as a basis of cycle sport (branches: track, off-road or MTB, downhill, cyclo-cross, time trialling, road racing, cycle speedway, cycle polo, BMX), and as a basis for static gymnasium or home fitness versions. A remarkable aspect of the bicycle is its widespread adoption in many different fields of human activity, e.g. The basic shape and configuration of the frame, wheels, pedals, saddle and handlebars has hardly changed since the first chain-driven model was developed around 1885, although many important detail improvements have been made since, especially in recent years using modern materials and computer-aided design. The bicycle is one of the most notable of human inventions.

To distinguish a bicycle from a motorcycle, it is also called a push-bike. Numbering over 1,000,000,000 in the world today, bicycles provide the principal means of transportation in many regions and a popular form of recreational transport in others. First introduced in 19th-century Europe, bicycles evolved quickly into their familiar, current design. A bicycle, or bike, is a pedal-driven land vehicle with two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other.

ISO 4210 Cycles — Safety requirements for bicycles. ISO 8090 Cycles — Terminology (same as BS 6102-4). ISO 5775 Bicycle tire and rim designations. A unicycle is not a bicycle, as it has only one wheel, but it is related.

Art bikes: Some bikes are built so that the frame appears to be made of junk or found objects: Bongo the Clown built several ridable parade bikes which were as much kinetic sculptures as transport. Come-apart bike, (essentially a unicycle, plus a set of handlebars attached to forks and a wheel). tall bike (often called an upside down bike, constructed so that the pedals, seat and handlebars are all higher than normal) -- other types tall bikes are made by welding two more more bicycle frames on top of each other, and running additional chains from the pedals to the rear wheel. bucking bike (with one or more eccentric wheels).

Some types of clown bicycles are: