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Evolution of Bicycles

History

The first documented bicycle that was introduced in the early 19 th century was

the Draisines or hobby horses. It was built by a German named Baron Karl von

Drais and was introduced in Paris in the year 1818. In this crude structure, an

individual sat on a wooden frame that was supported by two in-line wheels. The

person had to push the vehicle with his feet and steer the front wheel. In the

later half of the 19th

century, a new dimension was added to the existing

machine. In the 1860s, Frenchmen named Pierre Michaux and Pierre Lallement

added a mechanical crank drive with pedals on an enlarged front wheel.

After that, came a series of inventions that concentrated on the back wheel.

This creation was made of wood and iron and developed. It featured a tubular

steel frame on which were mounted, wire spoked wheels with solid rubber tires.

However, it failed because the rear wheel was too big as compared to the tiny

front wheel and the weight distribution was poor. A fall from the bicycle

ensured that you landed head first on solid ground and also broke your nose!

After that, came the dwarf cycle, which corrected a few of these faults and

reducing the rear wheel diameter and also added gearing in order to attain

sufficient speed. However, paddling and steering the front wheel still was a

problem. This was solved by J. K. Starley, J. H. Lawson and Shergold who

introduced the concept of chain drive, which connected the paddles with the

frame and the back wheel. Since they were safer as compared to their previous

counterparts, these bicycles came to be known as dwarf safeties or safety

bicycles.

The bicycle has been one of the most fascinating inventions by man. It is

known for its agility and practicality and has been improved drastically since

the time it was invented. Today, bicycles are used for transportation, recreation

and commuting purposes.

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Introduction and Development of Bicycles in India

Bicycle was seen in India in the year 1890. Import of cycles, however, started in

1905 and continued for more than 50 years. Complete ban on imports was

announced by the Government in July, 1953, but cycle kept on simmering in the

country till 1961. In 1890, selling price of an imported bicycle was around Rs.

45/-; in 1917, during the First World War the price jumped to Rs. 500/- but

dropped considerably, month by month and came down to Rs. 35/- or so (U. K.

makes) and Rs. 15/- or so (Japanese models).

HERO CYCLES

Hero group was started by the four Munjal brothers, namely: Mr. Satyanand

Munjal, Mr. Om Prakash Munjal. Late Mr. Dayanand Munjal and Late Mr.

Raman Kant Munjal. hailing from a small town called Kamalia, now in Pakistan

in the year 1944 by establishing bicycle spare parts business in Amritsar. After

independence and partition of India, they moved to Ludhiana and started a

bicycle unit called Hero Cycles in 1956. By 1975, Hero cycles became the

largest bicycle manufacturer in India. In 1984, Hero group joined Honda Motors

of Japan to create Hero Honda Motors Limited which soon became one of the

market leader in motor-cycle sales in India. In 1986 Hero Cycles Limited

entered the Guinness Books of World Records as the largest bicycle

manufacturer in the world.

TI Cycles of India (a Unit of Tube Investments of India Ltd.)is a bicycle

manufacturer based in India. Established in 1949 by the Murugappa Group and

Sir Ivan Stedeford of Tube Investments Group in UK, TI Cycles is the maker of

brands like Hercules, BSA and Philips cycles. It has manufacturing plants at

Ambattur near Chennai, Nasik in Maharastra and Noida in Uttar Pradesh.

Currently it is the first largest cycle manufacturer in India and number one

manufacturer in special segments like Mountain bikes, Sports Lite Roadsters,

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Racing bikes etc. It has manufacturing capacity of around three million bicycles

per year.

Growth

Every year bicycle production in India takes about 17% of the world, which has

is approximately 20 million units.

The annual domestic demand of bicycles in India is approximately 20 million

units out of which around 3 million units is a government demand for the

various welfare schemes. Exports out of India are largely to Africa and the less

developed economies and negligible to western markets.

Major players in the domestic bicycle industry are Hero Cycles, TI, Avon &

Atlas with 40%, 22% & 17% & 10% of share of volume respectively. Most

cycles manufactured & sold in India are in the low price bracket of Rs. 2,500 to

3000.

The market for the premium or the lifestyle bikes targeted towards the lifestyleconsumer is just about emerging. The definition of high end bikes it self is

changing.

Earlier the high-end bikes were considered as those selling between Rs. 5000 to

8000. However now with global brands moving into the country this definition

is also changing with price-points starting from Rs.15000 to as high as a few

lakhs!

Advantages of bicycles.

Effects on society

Walking and horses were replaced by the use of the bicycle as personal

transportation.

The bicycle created a faster paced society.

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Bikes helped enforced a concept of gender equality because bike

manufacturers began marketing to women.

Womens clothing styles continued to evolve to accommodate lifestyle

changes due to growing popularity of bicycles among women.

Due to their maneuverability the military incorporated the bicycle into

their operations.

Effects on environment

When bicycles were first invented there was not much impact on the

environment because bicycles do not give off pollution.

In the 1970s pollution became a growing issue and bicycles became

more popular.

Bicycles are used as alternative today because of expensive gas prices

and environmental concerns.

Disadvantages

It requires lot of physical effort to go fast

Conclusion

Cycling is one of the best way to keep ones health in proper condition . It gives

the whole body a workout which is enough to burn those extra calories

consumed in the day. Amsterdam has a population of 7 lakhs and number of

bicycles are 6 lakhs with separate roads,rules. It is eco-friendly too , and the

fuel is YOU