Bicycles

April 20

I am thankful for bicycles. I am sure I am no different than countless millions of adults and kids around the country who have a special place for bikes in their hearts. Although I do not own one now, in the past they were an instrumental mode of transportation in my life, especially as a kid. While growing up, it was my only method of transportation, except when I got rides from my dad. I rode to school, delivered newspapers, had races with friends, and went everywhere around town on my bike. Where would I have been without bicycles. I think I'm going to need to get myself a new bike!

Bicycles have been around since the 1800s, having been invented in Europe. They were called velocipedes until the name bicycle was coined by The London Daily News in 1868. According to Wikipedia, there are more than a billion bicycles worldwide, which totals twice as many bikes than automobiles. Many inventions for bicycles eventually made their way into autos, for example spoked wheels, ball bearings, chain driven sprockets, and pneumatic tires. Were rear view mirrors, headlights, or little rubber squeeze horns first used on bicycles?  Actually after a little cursory research it seems that all three arose in the automobile before bikes. Of course 'auto'mobiles, taking the lead from their name, have refined horns and mirrors by automating them. The bicycle has decided to go retro, as they say, by keeping the manually controlled versions of horns and mirrors primarily. I've seen battery powered horns, but they never last. Actually, nobody I know actually uses horns or mirrors (on bikes OR cars!) anyway. Another important invention attributed to the bicycle, and second only to baseball, was the development of performance enhancing drugs and blood doping - just kidding!

The photo above was taken of the bicycles chained to one of the bike racks outside the LSU Student Union. I focused on the one unique tire and let everything else be out of focus by using a large aperature (f4).

wind in my face

wind in my face

road to my back as now i gain speed

traveling free and easy

upon my trusty velocipede.

© rt tulley