The Bicycle’s Social, Cultural, and Economic Effects
As the bicycle grew in popularity and use, it brought along with it a number of social and economic shifts. The bike, being a cheap, easy to use method of transportation, allowed people to finally get around at a decent speed without the need for a horse.
When the bicycle first came into popularity, it allowed workers to move away from crowded city tenements and into bigger properties in the suburbs. The bicycle preceded the shift of Americans to the suburbs, and it offered a method of transportation for people to get to and from work. The bicycle marked a shift away from horses as a primary method of transportation.
The Feminist Movement and Emancipation
The bicycle was seen as a symbol for the feminist movement during the late 19th century, as it allowed women a means of transportation without requiring a man, or a heavy investment. In an interview with New York world in 1896, Susan B. Anthony stated “Let me tell you what I think of bicycling. I think it has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world. It gives women a feeling of freedom and self-reliance. I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel…the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.”
In fact, the 1890s rise in the popularity of the bicycle directly led to the rational dress movement. This movement called for the end of restrictive clothing like corsets and ankle length skirts, and introduced the “shocking” bloomer outfit.
Here is a video about “Scorchers”, young bicyclists who also found freedom through riding. The freedom to go as fast as they possibly could, and the freedom to cause trouble:
Economic Effects
The bicycle, as we have already seen, had serious implications in the economic realm. The creation of the bicycle led to dozens of other related industries that grew as a result: metal working (ball bearings, pneumatic tires), bicycle tool industries, and many other varieties of bicycle accessories. Take the bicycle light for example.
These same designs that were used in the bicycle were later used in the automobile and eventually the aircraft industry.
The industrial models utilized in the creation of the bicycle, such as vertical integration, aggressive advertising, and mass production were put to good use in the automobile. The bicycle was also the first instance of ‘planned obsolescence,’ otherwise known as the ‘annual model change’ which still occurs with automobiles and technology today.
The bicycle also helped create new industries such as bicycle messengers and racing rinks. It encouraged the development of new inventions like spoke tighteners, specialized lights, the jock strap, and hundreds of other related products.
A world without a bicycle
As explained during lecture, an interesting way to see the effects of a ‘thing’ upon the world is to imagine what we would have to do to achieve the same end without the thing existing.
Imagine a world without the bicycle. The bicycle certainly sped up the development of the automobile, it had a profound economic impact on the United States and the rest of of the world, and it helped change the culture of transportation. Without the bicycle, what would be different?
The development of important constituent parts, such as spoked wheels, rubber tires, washers, and ball bearings would not have been invented until years or decades later. The automobile would not have been invented, or at least not yet. There would be no way to get around a city without using an animal or gasoline.
To travel short distances, one would have to either walk, take a horse, or use a vehicle. For the poor, this is unfeasible: people in developing countries, for instance, can’t always afford a Vespa or a Ford. Millions of people would be forced to walk. People would have to live extremely close to their work, meaning that their health and sanitation would revert to the levels from before the bicycle.
The world would be years backwards in technological development. Without the bicycle industry, we would be years, or perhaps decades, backwards in technology.