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Technology in conversation (12) - The bicycle as a midwife for the automobile

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Created on December 28, 2022

Text:

Gerhard Schütz

Photos:

Archiv Gerhard Schütz

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Gerhard Schütz

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ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv/Fotograf Baumann, Heinz/Com_Ex-BA01-0054-0007/CC BY-SA 4.0

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv Gerhard Schütz_B4 Peogeot seitl

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Archiv

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Archiv Gerhard Schütz

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Gerhard Schütz

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ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv/Fotograf Baumann, Heinz/Com_Ex-BA01-0054-0007/CC BY-SA 4.0

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Bruno von Rotz

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Archiv Gerhard Schütz_B4 Peogeot seitl

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Archiv

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Did the bicycle pave the way for the automobile?

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Vintage bicycle, ancestor of the bicycle, the motorcycle and the automobile - Draisine by the inventor Drais, built in 1818 for the inventor of photography, Nicéphore Nièpce in Chalon-sur-Saône

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The Benz tricycle (Benz Patent Motor Car from 1886), with which Berta Benz completed the first automobile journey in history

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Pedal four-wheeler - 2 pedalers, 2 passengers

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Daimler motorized steel four-wheeler from 1889 - single-cylinder engine on the rear axle

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Panhard-Levassor, the first car with a front engine, and not a carriage, because it has a steel ladder frame

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Plan for Daimler with monocoque chassis made of wood (no ladder frame) and engine on the rear axle

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Daimler with wooden monocoque box

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Benz with self-supporting wooden box chassis (monocoque), supplemented by two thin steel side members. Underfloor mid-mounted engine with chain drive to the rear axle

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Chassis Bugatti 101 from 1947

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Carriage before 1870 - 1 central beam, 2 auxiliary chassis, 3.4 spring suspension. This concept served as the basis for the Citroen 2CV

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Stagecoach - no ladder frame far and wide, coach box itself as supporting structure

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From 1888 - Happy cycling on pneumatic tires, whether from Continental, Michelin or Dunlop

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Chain drive from 1887 ...

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Pedal tricycle with chain drive

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Cardan drive on a bicycle

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From 1867, wire-spoked wheels were available in all sizes. The thin spokes are no longer subjected to pressure, but to tension

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Caster brings driving stability

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The rim caliper brake as the forerunner of the disc brake

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Entertaining bicycle lighting

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Ingenious gear-changing constructions were invented early on

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Independent front (and rear) wheel suspension

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Cross-shaped bicycle frame

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Pipe and connector layout

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Mannesmann invented the series production of seamless tubes

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Maserati Birdcage from 1961 - a few more tubes than a bicycle, but low chassis weight, namely only 35 kg, i.e. less than the first bicycles

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Peugeot Type 3 from 1893 with tubular frame in which the cooling water even flowed

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Peugeot Type 3 from 1893 - Carriage? Only superficially. Structurally, an independent design that was influenced by bicycle technology

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Peugeot Type 3: Sophisticated, compact layout with central engine (Panhard & Levassor 1 cylinder) in front of the rear axle and gearbox to the front

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Series production of bicycles in the 19th century

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Car advertisement from 1969 - Only flying is more beautiful

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Even the great Ettore Bugatti, a lover of horses and racing cars, hopped on a penny-farthing. Did he want to impress King Leopold III of Belgium?

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The good old days 1 - Bumper-to-bumper traffic in the 19th century

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The good old days 2 - Bike rowdies back in the 19th century

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Pedal-Dreirad

Das Benz Dreirad (Benz Patent-Motorwagen von 1886), mit dem Berta Benz die erste Automobilfahrt der Geschichte absolvierte

Pedal-Vierrad - 2 Pedaleure, 2 Fahrgäste

Motor-Stahl-Vierrad von Daimler von 1889 - Einzylindermotor an der Hinterachse

Panhard-Levassor, das erste Auto mit Frontmotor, und keine Kutsche, denn es hat einen Leiterrahmen aus Stahl

Plan für Daimler mit Monocoque-Chassis aus Holz (kein Leiterrahmen) und Motor an der Hinterachse

Summary

The automobile did not come out of nowhere around 140 years ago. It breathed the spirit and used the gene pool of the bicycle. So let's take a refreshingly new, but also entertaining look at the history of the automobile together with our pals Exbert and Albert at the start of the year.

Estimated reading time: 8min

Preview (beginning of the article)

There is always talk of the motorized carriage. But the early automobile had little or nothing to do with the carriage in terms of design. On the other hand, it had a great deal, almost everything, to do with the bicycle. In a lively conversation with a twinkle in their eyes, the two buddies Albert and Exbert develop a new, unbiased view of the early history of the automobile: Albert: I was in Bern today. It was sheer horror. You wouldn't believe what cyclists get away with here. Everything! You're the stupid one with your motorized carriage, and if there's a crash, it's the driver's fault from the start.

Welcome to Zwischengas!

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Images of this article

Pedal-Dreirad

Das Benz Dreirad (Benz Patent-Motorwagen von 1886), mit dem Berta Benz die erste Automobilfahrt der Geschichte absolvierte

Pedal-Vierrad - 2 Pedaleure, 2 Fahrgäste

Motor-Stahl-Vierrad von Daimler von 1889 - Einzylindermotor an der Hinterachse

Panhard-Levassor, das erste Auto mit Frontmotor, und keine Kutsche, denn es hat einen Leiterrahmen aus Stahl

Plan für Daimler mit Monocoque-Chassis aus Holz (kein Leiterrahmen) und Motor an der Hinterachse

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