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    The Evolution of The Bicycle

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    Dea Permata
    The bicycle has evolved significantly since its inception in the mid-19th century. By the late 19th century, the familiar diamond frame design had emerged from numerous experiments. In the early 20th century, manufacturers added improvements like gears, brakes, and new materials to create bicycles for different user groups. After World War 2, production focused on low-cost, high-quality bicycles for transportation. In the 1960s and 70s, new designs like folding and children's bikes expanded the market. This led to the mountain bike and cycling as a leisure activity. Today, innovation focuses on product differentiation and specialization in niche markets.

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    The Evolution of The Bicycle

    Uploaded by

    Dea Permata
    127 views3 pages
    The bicycle has evolved significantly since its inception in the mid-19th century. By the late 19th century, the familiar diamond frame design had emerged from numerous experiments. In the early 20th century, manufacturers added improvements like gears, brakes, and new materials to create bicycles for different user groups. After World War 2, production focused on low-cost, high-quality bicycles for transportation. In the 1960s and 70s, new designs like folding and children's bikes expanded the market. This led to the mountain bike and cycling as a leisure activity. Today, innovation focuses on product differentiation and specialization in niche markets.

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    The Evolution of the Bicycle

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    The bicycle has evolved significantly since its inception in the mid-19th century. By the late 19th century, the familiar diamond frame design had emerged from numerous experiments. In the early 20th century, manufacturers added improvements like gears, brakes, and new materials to create bicycles for different user groups. After World War 2, production focused on low-cost, high-quality bicycles for transportation. In the 1960s and 70s, new designs like folding and children's bikes expanded the market. This led to the mountain bike and cycling as a leisure activity. Today, innovation focuses on product differentiation and specialization in niche markets.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    127 views3 pages

    The Evolution of The Bicycle

    Uploaded by

    Dea Permata
    The bicycle has evolved significantly since its inception in the mid-19th century. By the late 19th century, the familiar diamond frame design had emerged from numerous experiments. In the early 20th century, manufacturers added improvements like gears, brakes, and new materials to create bicycles for different user groups. After World War 2, production focused on low-cost, high-quality bicycles for transportation. In the 1960s and 70s, new designs like folding and children's bikes expanded the market. This led to the mountain bike and cycling as a leisure activity. Today, innovation focuses on product differentiation and specialization in niche markets.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
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    of 3

    The evolution of the bicycle

    (This case is based on work by the Open University/UMIST Design and Innovation
    Group).

    People began exploring the idea of the bicycle in the middle of the 19th century and a
    huge variety of types emerged between 1860 and 1890. Various attempts were made
    to establish a dominant design, but it was not until near the turn of the century that the
    experiments with wheels, gears, seats, etc. converged to the now familiar 'diamond
    frame'. This still forms the basis of most cycle design.

    Manufacturers introduced all sorts of incremental improvements including new


    materials (e.g. alloy steels for the frame), new components (e.g. gears), accessories
    (e.g. lights), etc. By 1930 there were bicycles to suit different market segments,
    ranging from dependable working cycles with 3 speed gears, lever operated brakes,
    through to high performance racing and sports bikes made of lightweight materials
    and incorporating advanced gear and braking technology. This phase was very much
    about market segmentation - innovating to suit the needs of different user groups.

    The post-war period in Europe led to an expansion in the demand for cycles as a
    cheap mode of transport and this put emphasis on production to low cost and high
    quality. For a long period innovation focused on process improvement to achieve
    these goals and the product and market remained stable - essentially characteristic of
    the mature phase in the product/technology life cycle.

    This did not mean that more radical concepts were not being explored, simply that
    they were not adopted widely. Innovation was still taking place in specialist niches p
    for example, in racing bike technology where new materials played a role. But it was
    not until the 1960s when Alex Moulton introduced his small wheel collapsible bike
    that mainstream product innovation took place. His original design was for a bicycle
    which could be folded up and carried on the train for commuters to use between the
    office and the station; other variants included a small shopping bike.

    Such models were not huge commercial successes but they demonstrated the potential
    of the design in terms of efficiency and reliability - traditionally smaller wheels posed
    problems with transmission and with shock absorption. The market where it really
    had an impact was in 'fun bikes' for children; in particular manufacturers borrowed
    from the idea of motorcycle cross country rallying to create the BMX - bicycle motor
    cross - market. This opened up a new business and tapped into the increasingly
    affluent markets of the 1970s.

    Considerable product innovation followed this development, especially around


    accessories, new lightweight materials, and cycle clothing (helmets, etc.). The leisure
    cycle industry expanded further as the BMX kids grew up and began demanding adult
    versions which could travel off-road; this led t the development of the mountain bike
    and to a resurgence of interest in cycling as a leisure activity rather than as a mode of
    transport.
    For manufacturers this came at a good time since the rise of car ownership had
    impacted heavily on traditional markets. It opened up a phase of product
    differentiation - broadly into leisure and transport cycling but within these categories
    into multiple variants. (We should not understimate the process innovation challenges
    posed by trying to do this. For example, the National Bicycle Company of Japan now
    offer 18 basic models, a choice of 19 colours and 6 different calligraphies - giving a
    staggering potential choice of 11, 231, 862 variants!)

    Innovation continues - for example, there is considerable interest in recumbent bicycle


    where the rider lies down on a low level cycle which is more efficient in terms of
    energy transmission and aerodynamics; the resulting design is capable of speeds in
    excess of 40km/hour. Motorising cycles with various kinds of electric devices has
    been tried, notably with the ill-fated Sinclair C5; although unsuccessful the concept of
    electric motor assistance to pedal power has led to the relqatgi9vely successful Zeke
    device. But the pattern appears to have stabilised again into a transitional/mature
    phase with emphasis on product differentiation of an incremental nature in specialised
    market niches, and in process innovation towards cost reduction.

    Given the 150 year history of the bicycle, with its patterns of radical change followed
    by convergence and consolidation it would be foolish to suggest that today's product
    represents the end of the road for innovation in this sector.

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