Cycling
- Early inventions
- Cyclists at Mount Allison
Early Inventions
Cycling as a sport did not gain much popularity at Mount Allison, although the school did produce one athlete of regional repute. Its importance to athletics at the school instead rests on the cultural shift it paved for women’s sports.
The bicycle is believed to be the most efficient means of transportation powered by human energy. The first self-propelled bicycle was invented in Scotland by Kirkpatrick Macmillan in 1839. His machine had two swinging cranks on the front that were attached to the back wheel by rods and levers. In 1861, two Frenchmen, Pierre and Ernest Michaux, created a bicycle with pedals attached to the front wheel. Its iron frame and heavy weight, sometimes over 68 kilograms, earned it the nickname of “boneshaker.” The “penny-farthing” bicycle was invented in 1870 by Englishman James Starley. Although lighter than its predecessor owing to the use of wire spokes, a typical “penny-farthing” bicycle still weighed approximately 23 kilograms, and the size of the front wheels ranged from 100 to 150 centimeters in diameter. Great skill was needed to balance, steer and ride these bicycles.
The first “safety” bicycle was invented in 1874 by H.J. Lawson, but it was not until the introduction of pneumatic tires by John Boyd Dunlop in 1888 that its popularity really took off across the world, including Canada, in the mid-1890s. The safety bicycle had two equally sized wheels of medium diameter, and a chain between the sprocket and rear wheel. It was light, easier to steer, and more comfortable than its predecessors. The affordability of the safety bicycle also allowed people of all classes and both genders to access them more easily. Women were able to participate as equally as men in the new sporting ‘craze.’
Mount Allison Male Academy class, 1888
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