Michaux velocipede
The velocipede from Paris with pedals on the front wheel – known as the boneshaker.
The smith Pierre Michaux and his sons in Paris put pedals on the front wheel of a running machine. Who first had the idea is disputed; Pierre Lallement took out a patent in the United States in 1866.
The velocipede was shown at the Paris Exposition of 1867 and became a craze. It was heavy and uncomfortable – the English called it the boneshaker – but it made cycling a sport.
Materials: Wrought iron, wood, iron tyres on the wheels
Manufacture: Made by Michaux & Cie in Paris from about 1867.
The pedals fixed directly to the front-wheel hub.
The curved wrought-iron frame.
The wooden wheels with iron tyres, which shook on the cobbles.