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Bicycles
A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bicycles were introduced in the 19th century in Europe. By the early 21st century, more than 1 billion were in existence. These numbers far exceed the number of cars, both in total and ranked by the number of individual models produced. They are the principal means of transportation in many regions. They also provide a popular form of recreation, and have been adapted for use as children's toys, general fitness, military and police applications, courier services, bicycle racing, and bicycle stunts. The basic shape and configuration of a typical upright or "safety bicycle", has changed little since the first chain-driven model was developed around 1885. However, many details have been improved, especially since the advent of modern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Motorized Bicycle
A motorized bicycle is a bicycle with an attached motor or engine and transmission used either to power the vehicle unassisted, or to assist with pedalling. Since it sometimes retains both pedals and a discrete connected drive for rider-powered propulsion, the motorized bicycle is in technical terms a true bicycle, albeit a power-assisted one. Typically they are incapable of speeds above . Powered by a variety of engine types and designs, the motorized bicycle formed the prototype for what would later become the motor driven cycle. Terminology The term motorized bicycle refers to just a bicycle combining pedal power and internal combustion engine power. However, the term could be used as an umbrella category to refer to bicycles using sources besides pedal power. Electric bicycles technically could be in the category of motorized bicycles but instead of using internal combustion engines as a combination it is driven by electric motors which power from pedals and batteries. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fixed-gear Bicycle
A fixed-gear bicycle (or fixed-wheel bicycle, commonly known in some places as a fixie) is a bicycle that has a drivetrain with no freewheel mechanism. The freewheel was developed early in the history of bicycle design but the fixed-gear bicycle remained the standard track racing design. More recently the "fixie" has become a popular alternative among mainly urban cyclists, offering the advantage of simplicity compared with the standard multi-geared bicycle. Most bicycle hubs incorporate a freewheel to allow the pedals to remain stationary while the bicycle is in motion, so that the rider can coast, i.e., ride without pedalling using forward momentum. A fixed-gear drivetrain has the drive sprocket (or cog) threaded or bolted directly to the hub of the back wheel, so that the pedals are directly coupled to the wheel. During acceleration, the pedal crank drives the wheel, but in other situations, the rear wheel can drive the pedal cranks. This direct coupling allows a cyclist to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Electric Bicycle
An electric bicycle (e-bike, eBike, etc.) is a motorized bicycle with an integrated electric motor used to assist propulsion. Many kinds of e-bikes are available worldwide, but they generally fall into two broad categories: bikes that assist the rider's pedal-power (i.e. pedelecs) and bikes that add a throttle, integrating moped-style functionality. Both retain the ability to be pedaled by the rider and are therefore not electric motorcycles. E-bikes use rechargeable batteries and typically are motor-powered up to . High-powered varieties can often travel more than . E-bike use is growing in some markets, as they are seen as an eco-friendly and healthy alternative to cars, fossil fuel-powered mopeds and small motorcycles, and a less physically intense alternative to conventional bicycles. Depending on local laws, many e-bikes (e.g., ''pedelecs'') are legally classified as bicycles rather than mopeds or motorcycles. This exempts them from the more stringent laws regarding t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bicycle Frame
A bicycle frame is the main component of a bicycle, onto which wheels and other components are fitted. The modern and most common frame design for an upright bicycle is based on the safety bicycle, and consists of two triangles: a main triangle and a paired rear triangle. This is known as the ''diamond frame''. Frames are required to be strong, stiff and light, which they do by combining different materials and shapes. A frameset consists of the frame and fork of a bicycle and sometimes includes the headset and seat post. Frame builders will often produce the frame and fork together as a paired set. Variations Besides the ubiquitous diamond frame, many different frame types have been developed for the bicycle, several of which are still in common use today. Diamond In the diamond frame, the main "triangle" is not actually a triangle because it consists of four tubes: the head tube, top tube, down tube and seat tube. The rear triangle consists of the seat tube joined by p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Racing Bicycle
A racing bicycle, also known as a road bike is a bicycle designed for competitive road cycling, a sport governed by and according to the rules of the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). Racing bicycles are designed for maximum performance while remaining legal under the UCI rules. They are designed to minimise aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance, and weight, and balance the desire for stiffness for pedaling effiency with the need for some flexibility for comfort. Racing bicycles sacrifice comfort for speed compared to non-racing bicycles. The drop handlebars are positioned lower than the saddle in order to put the rider in a more aerodynamic posture. The front and back wheels are close together so the bicycle has quick handling, which is preferred by experienced racing cyclists. The derailleur gear ratios are closely spaced so that the rider can pedal at their optimum cadence. However, racing bicycles must retain the ability to maneuver safely within a tightly-packed pe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Utility Bicycle
A utility bicycle, city bicycle, urban bicycle, European city bike (ECB), Dutch bike, classic bike or simply city-bike, is a bicycle designed for frequent very short, very slow rides through very flat urban areas. It is a form of utility bicycle commonly seen around the world, built to facilitate everyday short-distance riding (no more than 3-4 miles a day) in normal clothes in cold-to-mild weather conditions. It is therefore a bicycle designed for very short-range practical transportation, as opposed to those primarily for recreation and competition, such as touring bicycles, racing bicycles, and mountain bicycles. Utility bicycles are the most common form globally, and comprise the vast majority found in the developing world. City bikes may be individually owned or operated as part of a public bike sharing scheme. Generally as they are more suitable for urban environments, they focus more on short-distance comfort and practicality instead of speed or efficiency. They normall ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bicycle Wheel
A bicycle wheel is a wheel, most commonly a wire wheel, designed for a bicycle. A pair is often called a wheelset, especially in the context of ready built "off the shelf" performance-oriented wheels. Bicycle wheels are typically designed to fit into the bicycle frame, frame and bicycle fork, fork via Dropout (bicycle part), dropouts, and hold bicycle tires. Invention The first wheel to use the tension in wire wheel, metal spokes was invented by George Cayley, Sir George Cayley to achieve lightness in his 1853 glider. Construction The first bicycle wheels followed the traditions of carriage building: a wooden hub, a fixed steel axle (the bearings were located in the fork ends), wooden spokes and a shrink fitted iron tire. A typical modern wheel has a metal hub, wire tension spokes and a metal or carbon fiber rim which holds a pneumatic rubber tire. Hub A hub is the center part of a bicycle wheel. It consists of an axle, bearing (mechanical), bearings and a hub shell. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Touring Bicycle
A touring bicycle is a bicycle designed or modified to handle bicycle touring. To make the bikes sufficiently robust, comfortable and capable of carrying heavy loads, special features may include a long wheelbase (for ride comfort and to avoid pedal-to-luggage conflicts), frame materials that favor flexibility over rigidity (for ride comfort—though frame flexing can eventually lead to metal fatigue and frame failure, so newer frames are rigid), heavy duty wheels (for load capacity), and multiple mounting points (for luggage racks, fenders, and bottle cages). Types Touring bicycle configurations are highly variable and may include road, sport touring, trail, recumbent, or tandem configurations. Road touring Road touring bicycles have a frame geometry designed to provide a comfortable ride and stable, predictable handling when laden with baggage, provisions for the attachment of fenders and mounting points for carrier racks and panniers. Modern road tourers may employ 700C ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Recumbent Bicycle
A recumbent bicycle is a bicycle that places the rider in a laid-back reclining position. Most recumbent riders choose this type of design for ergonomic reasons: the rider's weight is distributed comfortably over a larger area, supported by back and buttocks. On a traditional upright bicycle, the body weight rests entirely on a small portion of the Tuberosity of the ischium, sitting bones, the feet, and the hands. Most recumbent models also have an aerodynamics, aerodynamic advantage; the reclined, legs-forward position of the rider's body presents a smaller frontal profile. A recumbent holds the world speed record for a bicycle, and they were banned from racing under the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) in 1934, and now race under the banner of the World Human Powered Vehicle Association (WHPVA) and International Human Powered Vehicle Association (IHPVA). Recumbents are available in a wide range of configurations, including: long to short wheelbase; large, small, or a mix ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lowrider Bicycle
A lowrider bicycle is a highly customized bicycle with styling inspired by lowrider cars. These bikes often feature a long, curved banana seat with a sissy bar and very tall upward-swept ape hanger handlebars. A lot of chrome, velvet, and overspoked wheels are common accessories to these custom bicycles. These bikes are typically a highly individualized creation. Despite the fact that these bikes originated within the poverty of the barrio, lowrider bikes can be expensive. Noted American bicycle mechanic, technical expert, and author Sheldon Brown wrote of lowrider bicycles, History Lowrider bikes first appeared in August 23, 1961 in California. Children would emulate the craft of lowrider cars with their bicycles as a canvas for creativity, usually starting with common muscle bikes. This allowed those who were too young to drive a car to have a custom vehicle. In 1963, Schwinn was the first company to launch a muscle bike, in the form of the Schwinn Sting-Ray. Lowrider ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Folding Bicycle
A folding bicycle is a bicycle designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mode commuting and bicycle commuting), and more easily stored in compact living quarters or aboard a car, boat or plane. Folding mechanisms vary, with each offering a distinct combination of folding speed, folding ease, compactness, ride, weight, durability, and price. Distinguished by the complexities of their folding mechanism, more demanding structural requirements, greater number of parts, and more specialized market appeal, folding bikes may be more expensive than comparable non-folding models. The choice of model, apart from cost considerations, is a matter of resolving the various practical requirements: a quick, easy fold, a compact folded size, or a faster but less compact model. There are also bicycles that provide similar advantages by separating into ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cruiser Bicycle
A cruiser bicycle, also known as a beach cruiser or (formerly) motobike, is a bicycle that usually combines balloon tires, an upright seating posture, a single-speed drivetrain, and straightforward steel construction with expressive styling. Cruisers are popular among casual bicyclists and vacationers because they are very stable and easy to ride, but their heavy weight and balloon tires tend to make them rather slow. Another common feature is their ability to be customized with accessories including fenders, lights and saddle bags. They are designed for use primarily on paved roads, low speeds/distances, and are included in the non-racing/non-touring class and heavyweight or middleweight styles of the road bicycle type. The bikes, noted for their durability and heavy weight, were the most popular bicycle in the United States from the early 1930s through the 1950s, and have enjoyed renewed popularity since the late 1990s. Etymology One of the first uses of the term “cruis ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
