The bicycle ranks as one of the most enduring, most widely used vehicles in the world, with more than a billion produced during almost two hundred years of cycling history. This book offers an authoritative and comprehensive account of the bicycles technical and historical evolution, from the earliest velocipedes (invented to fill the need for horseless transport during a shortage of oats) to modern racing bikes, mountain bikes, and recumbents. It traces the bicycles development in terms of materials, ergonomics, and vehicle physics, as carried out by inventors, entrepreneurs, and manufacturers. Written by two leading bicycle historians and generously illustrated with historic drawings, designs, and photographs, Bicycle Design describes the key stages in the evolution of the bicycle, beginning with the counterintuitive idea of balancing on two wheels in line, through the development of tension-spoked wheels, indirect drives (employing levers, pulleys, chains, and chainwheels), and pneumatic tires. The authors examine the further development of the bicycle for such specific purposes as racing, portability, and all-terrain use and they describe the evolution of bicycle components including seats, transmission, brakes, lights (at first candle-based), and carriers (racks, panniers, saddlebags, child seats, and sidecars). They consider not only commercially successful designs but also commercial failures that pointed the way to future technological developments. And they debunk some myths about bicycles -- for example, the mistaken but often-cited idea that Leonardo sketched a chain-drive bike in his notebooks. Despite the bicycles long history and mass appeal, its technological history has been neglected. This volume, with its engaging and wide-ranging coverage, fills that gap. It will be the starting point for all future histories of the bicycle.

自行车是世界上最持久、使用最广泛的交通工具之一，在近两百年的自行车历史中，它的产量超过了10亿辆。本书对自行车的技术和历史演变进行了权威而全面的阐述，从最早的自行车（在燕麦短缺时为满足无马运输的需要而发明的）到现代的赛车自行车、山地自行车和残疾人自行车。它从材料、人机工程学和车辆物理学等方面追踪自行车的发展，这些都是由发明家、企业家和制造商完成的。自行车设计》由两位领先的自行车历史学家撰写，并配有历史性的图纸、设计和照片，描述了自行车发展的关键阶段，从两个轮子保持平衡的反直觉想法开始，到张力辐条轮、间接驱动（采用杠杆、滑轮、链条和链轮）和充气轮胎的发展。作者研究了自行车的进一步发展，如赛车、便携性和全地形使用，他们描述了自行车部件的演变，包括座椅、传动装置、刹车、车灯（最初以蜡烛为基础）和载具（车架、车篮、鞍囊、儿童座椅和侧车）。他们不仅考虑了商业上的成功设计，而且还考虑了为未来技术发展指明方向的商业失败。他们还揭穿了一些关于自行车的神话--例如，有一种错误但经常被引用的观点，即莱昂纳多在他的笔记本上画了一辆链传动自行车。尽管自行车有着悠久的历史和巨大的吸引力，但它的技术历史却被忽视了。这卷书以其引人入胜和广泛的覆盖面，填补了这一空白。它将成为未来所有自行车历史的起点。