Fun Bikes

By: apple1165

DID you ever hear of Mile-a-Minute Murphy? Back in 1899 he gained his title by cycling one mile in 57 4/5 seconds behind a railroad train. He had persuaded the Long Island Railroad Company to build him a board track, fifty inches wide and two and a half miles long, between the rails. At that time bicycling was the favorite sport of millions around the world, and the bicycle was at the zenith of its popularity.

The bicycle is actually man’s fastest mode of travel under his own power, and in many lands people still view it as a cheap and dependable mode of transportation. Young people are asking for a bicycle to ride from the time they have mastered walking. I can recall how my father and mother cashed in two insurance policies just to get the funds for supplying me and my brother with “bikes.” Soon we were maintaining paper routes several miles long—something that would have been difficult to do without this means of transportation. We cycled to and from school, went on errands, and so got plenty of healthful exercise. For years Dad cycled to and from the windmill manufacturing plant where he was employed.

Today in some lands the bicycle is looked upon as a toy. It has been displaced by the motorcycle and the automobile. Forgotten is the fact that the humble “bike” has exerted a powerful influence on the course of history—particularly in the Americas. By starting the movement toward hard, smooth roads it paved the way for the advent of the automobile. In fact, one writer has claimed that “both physically and psychologically, it was the true parent of the motor car.”

Some Bicycle History

Back in 1860 the bicycle was known as the “bone-shaker.” You can well imagine why, what with its iron tires and the rough, cobblestone streets of those times. A few years later came a highwheeler, in Britain sometimes called the penny-farthing. This model was intended for the more adventurous cyclist, the one interested in speed. It had a large front wheel, some fifty-two inches in diameter, equipped with pedals, and a tiny wheel behind. On a smooth surface the cyclist with this machine could go almost as fast as a horseman. Stopping was a problem, however. And, since it was a drop of some five feet to the ground, many a bone was broken in the attempt to get off these contraptions.

The year 1880 marked a big step forward: chains for driving the back wheel were introduced, and these could be geared any way desired to achieve speed or power. Prior to this, awkward levers had been used to drive the big wheels. In the following ten years came other helpful developments: rubber tires, ball bearings, coaster brakes and handlebars made their debut. Each one helped to build up the bicycle’s popularity.

The “safety” bicycle made its appearance in 1890. With its two wheels of the same size it was essentially the machine that is common today. Americans give credit for its design to the Pope Manufacturing Company of Hartford, Connecticut. However, something very like it appeared simultaneously in England and France. In any event, the Connecticut concern, applying the interchangeable parts system, swiftly took the lead in production, and soon American machines were being exported to all parts of the world.

By the year 1896 some 4,000,000 people in the United States were riding bicycles. Over a million machines were produced in 312 factories in a single year. The American bicycle industry obtained a strong foothold in Britain for a time, largely due to the fact that British manufacturers could not keep up with the tremendous demand.

The advent of the automobile, however, had a more immediate effect on bicycle riding in the United States than in Britain or on the European continent. Cars became popular and were priced low enough for the average family, so the bicycles were largely left to the children.Nevertheless, more than 24,000,000 people in the United States own bicycles. In Denmark, about one of every two persons is the owner of a bicycle, and it is still the common means of transportation in numerous countries where the automobile is viewed as a luxury, beyond the reach of the workingman.

Throughout Europe, in Central America, in Indonesia, Japan and North Africa, bicyclists can be seen in droves.Here in the Dominican Republic the bicycle becomes the mobile place of business for all kinds of salesmen. Some are equipped with a block of ice and bottles of colored syrup. The vendor can be seen everywhere there are crowds, offering cones of shaved ice with the syrup of one’s choice poured on top. Others sell fruits, vegetables and other eatables from their “bikes.” Scissors and knives are sharpened on other modified bicycles. Quite often one will see a bicycle with a special rack mounted on the back for transporting cleaned suits and trousers to those who sent them to the cleaners.

Healthful Transportation

The bicycle certainly has its appeal to lovers of the outdoors and those interested in health. It is a means of getting out on your own into the freedom of the countryside. It has the advantages of walking exercises, and still gets you to distant places much faster. It offers an excellent way of offsetting the harmful effects of a sedentary life. Tourist organizations catering to this kind of travel have arranged for hostels to be set up along main routes every ten or fifteen miles.

The bicycle is also a useful instrument as an aid in getting the good news of God’s kingdom spread to people in remote areas, even where good roads are not available. All the cyclist needs is a beaten footpath. And as to upkeep and storage, a hallway or a space under the stairs and a rag with some fine oil will do. So, one does not have to wait until he can afford an automobile in order to get out into remote places with the message that can bring people comfort and hope from God’s promises.

Not only is bicycling a good way of getting around, free of the worry of engine breakdowns. Its pace is slow enough to allow for the feasting of one’s eyes on the passing scene, rejoicing in the marvels of God’s creation around one.

The wind blowing in one’s face, the flush from effort needed to climb a hill, the silence and the sense of freedom all add to the overall healthful effects from “walking on wheels.”
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