The industry is also in the midst of a serious merger wave, with major bike producers vertically integrating, particularly in the retail sector. Today there are a billion bikes worldwide, and in some cities, biking is a key part of taking cars off the road, improving traffic and reducing pollution. The most important change to high-end bikes in the last fifteen years is digital drivetrains (either wired or wireless), which allow the rider to shift gears by pushing a button attached to an electronic motor. There’s still incredible innovation, from new materials to different styles to the incorporation of mapping software into the sport - there’s even a “bike computer” industry. The bike industry, in other words, is very old. There were two ‘bicycle crazes’ in the 19th century alone, and mass production began in the 1860s. Eventually engineers and tinkerers added modern tires, brakes, drivetrains, and so forth, improving comfort, feel, and speed. The Dandy Horse had no pedals or gears, but it was the first of what would eventually become known as the bicycle. ![]() In 1817, German Baron Karl von Drais introduced a two wheeled machine called the Dandy Horse to the world.
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