Safety Bicycle

John Kemp Starley, Britain, patent of 1885. The Rover: equal wheels, chain drive, the bicycle that everyone could ride.

Overview

Starley's RoverSafety standardized the diamond frame, equal-sized wheels, and rear chain drive, replacing the dangerous penny-farthing. He patented key features in 1885-86. Within years the bicycle became the first personal mobility machine of the masses. It emancipated women's travel and dress, fed paved-road movements, and seeded the auto and aviation industries, the Wright brothers were bicycle mechanics. Dunlop's pneumatic tire completed it. The safety frame remains unchanged beneath every bike today.