Jules Pierre Suriray was a Parisian

bicycle mechanic A bicycle mechanic or bike mechanic is a mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on bicycles. Bicycle mechanics can be employed in various types of stores, ranging from large department stores to small local bike shops; cycling teams, or ...

who patented, in 1869, the use of

ball bearing A ball bearing is a type of rolling-element bearing that uses balls to maintain the separation between the bearing races. The purpose of a ball bearing is to reduce rotational friction and support radial and axial loads. It achieves this ...

s in bicycles. Suriray was awarded the

patent A patent is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the legal right to exclude others from making, using, or selling an invention for a limited period of time in exchange for publishing an enabling disclosure of the invention."A p ...

on 2 August 1869. Bearings were then fitted to the winning bicycle ridden by James Moore in the world's first

bicycle road race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, Paris–Rouen, in November 1869. The bicycle is believed to have been built by Tribout.Jules Pierre Suviray. On trouve sa statue dans la cours du musée des Arts et Métiers à Paris.

References

Bearings (mechanical) 19th-century French engineers Sportspeople from Paris 19th-century French inventors Year of death missing Year of birth missing {{inventor-stub