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Virginia Commonwealth UniversityVCU Scholars CompassGreat VCU Bike Race Book Student Blog Posts Great VCU Bike Race Book2015Cycling Through History: Making an AmericanSport 1880-present, Blog 1Xenia CornickVirginia Commonwealth UniversityFollow this and additional works at: https://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/bike_studentPart of the Higher Education CommonsThis work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-SA4.0) License.This Blog Post is brought to you for free and open access by the Great VCU Bike Race Book at VCU Scholars Compass. It has been accepted forinclusion in Great VCU Bike Race Book Student Blog Posts by an authorized administrator of VCU Scholars Compass. For more information, pleasecontact libcompass@vcu.edu.Downloaded fromhttps://scholarscompass.vcu.edu/bike_student/5411/24/2016 Cornick – Cycling Through Historyhttps://rampages.us/bikehistory/2015/09/25/cornick/ 1/7CornickCycling Through the Centuries: The Acquisition and Af×uence of the BicycleThe late 19th century can surely be described as a historic time period Ölledwith new discoveries in science, electronics, and transportation. The bicycle,invented in the beginning of the 19th century, attributed to much of the traveldone between then and the middle of the 20th century. Many utilized cyclingfor leisure but for others it was seen more as a necessity. What began as aluxury solely for society’s af×uent and upper class members is now widely usedby members of every social class. The 1870s was a time when bicycles werebecoming more and more common especially in the United States. Researchand history both reveal that society’s elite members were always Örst to enjoynew luxuries. Cycling was no exception because White, upper class males madeup the majority of bicycle owners during that time period. Although bikes wereseen as the cheaper alternative to expensive automobiles many people spent apretty penny on bicycles, clothing, and accessories. A “top-of-the-linesuperbike, such as a $500 Fuji, a $700 Maserati or…a $1,200 Colgano” wasknown for their European design and high speed capabilities (Gerston, 1974).Some cycling hobbyists were splurging when it came to purchasing attire,spending hundreds on pants, shorts, special patterned shirts, and even gloves!Surprisingly enough there were barriers within the cycling community. One ofthe reasons was based on what type of bike people owned. The “superbikes”were seen as the upper echelon of two wheeled vehicles while those whoowned three speed bicycles were seen as “average riders”. Another cause fordivide within the cycling community was race. In the 1890’s many individualsbelonged to bicycle clubs. This was not only reserved to people of highsocioeconomic status because members of the middle and low socioeconomicclasses created their own club. Unfortunately many members of the Blackcycling communities were prohibited from joining and thus they created theirC YC L I N G  T H R O U G H  H I S TO R Y MENU11/24/2016 Cornick – Cycling Through Historyhttps://rampages.us/bikehistory/2015/09/25/cornick/ 2/7own clubs as a result. Something that has been prevalent since the foundationof America’s Örst colonization is discrimination against women and cycling onlyfurther highlighted this issue. Women cyclists were frowned upon in just aboutevery community; they were seen as having low standards and morals. Thebicycle’s early construction made it difÖcult for women to pedal in the dressesworn during that time period, and for a woman to hike up her skirt or even wearpants was seen as disgraceful. Some inventors tried to bridge the gender gap incycling by creating a “lady bike” but the model was unpopular due toinconsistencies in its frame. Unfortunately it remained sociably unacceptablefor women to ride bicycles until about 1939. Even with all those discriminationsall of the before mentioned groups who were fortunate to own a bicycle duringthis time period had more beneÖts than they realized Many communities areseparated by socioeconomic status; this is true today and was especially trueduring the 19th and 20th centuries. David Gonzalez shares a story about agroup of inner city kids who restored bicycles with recycled parts in his NewYork Times article. “Since 2 1994 students from four public schools…haverescued and reassembled dusty and rusted bicycles from basements andbackrooms around the city” (Gonzalez, 19947). Not only is the programrebirthing life into something that would otherwise be considered trash, it isalso birthing life and excitement into eager students. These students areimmigrants, Örst generation Americans, and minorities. The renovated bicyclesgive these students opportunity to travel and explore beyond their boroughs.Many of the program’s participants were even given the chance to travel acrosscountry from San Francisco to Washington, D.C.! One teacher described theexcursion as “…a symbol of freedom” for the students involved. Today bicyclesare still seen as one of the most popular forms of transportation for studentsacross the globe. The dynamic of bicycle riding changed drastically since thelate 19th century. Cycling is no longer seen as an activity or sport solely forsociety’s elite. Visit any college campus and you will see plenty of studentstraveling by bicycle going to and from classes. This is mainly due to the fact thatbicycling is a cheap form of transportation. Most students do not want to beworried about the hassles that come with owning a car on campus. Car notes,11/24/2016 Cornick – Cycling Through Historyhttps://rampages.us/bikehistory/2015/09/25/cornick/ 3/7September 25, 2015 In Uncategorizedinsurance rates, and gas prices alone are enough to make any penny pinchingcollege student want to travel by foot but owning a bicycle is way moreconvenient. As with any pro comes many cons and the one that many cyclistsendure is negligence by automobile drivers. In his letter to the editor of theNew York Times John Ragan expressed his disdain for New York City’s lack ofregard for cyclists. “I am a student…and a bicycle is the only transportation Ican afford. It makes me angry…that these streets…are open only to thosewealthy enough to have cars” (Ragan, 1987). The 20th century saw a transitionin how the members of higher socioeconomic status traveled. The beginning ofthe 1900’s saw bicycles being forced off the roads with the passage of newlegislation, the establishment of the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), andthe creation of driver’s licenses. Driving cars became the new norm but high gasprices and property taxes on automobiles kept many people off the highwaysand out of car dealerships. Today cycling is still seen as an international pastime,many ride bicycles as a sport, as a way to exercise and stay Öt, and as a meansfor transportation. The time period from the late 19 th century to the early 20th century saw many transitions in the dynamics of cyclist. Race, socioeconomicstatus, gender and occupation all impacted the history of cycling in the U.S. andabroad. But perhaps the one thing that has remained a constant over the lastthree centuries is that most cyclists continue to ride as a way to relieve tensionand just enjoy themselves. Regardless if someone belongs to the upper echelonof high society or someone is an everyday blue collar citizen, cycling hasremained a pleasant pastime for everyone←  P R E V I O U S  P O S T N E X T  P O S T  →

Cycling Through History: Making an American Sport 1880-present, Blog 1

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Cycling Through History: Making an American Sport 1880-present, Blog 1

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