360k+ wrote on 11/10/12 at 18:24:01:I think some of the earliest bikes were balance bikes.
Thats the way I understand it.,The first bicycle had no pedals,,it was, effectively, a rolling seat.
These would have worked quite well if you lived on level ground, as you could coast a good part of the time.
In hilly country, walk up, coast down,
In mountainous places, someone better figger out some Brakes!
A bicycle is actually one of the most efficient machines man has ever created, as far as energy input vs work output.
IIRC, Ive read where a 10 speed ( it was years ago, before the bazzillion speed bikes) was The most efficient form of transportation, tho.,. IMO, hitchiking beats it.
In other words, you could travel much further for the same amount of energy expenditure, than walking or running.