THE WORLDS OLDEST BICYCLE

Though pedal-less and made of padded wood, the "draisine," patented by German inventor Karl von Drais in 1817, is usually credited with being the world’s first bicycle. 

 Versions of his design quickly rose to popularity among young, male, and idle members of the British upper classes, earning the vehicles the unkind nickname “dandy-horse.”

On his first reported ride from Mannheim on June 12, 1817, he covered 13 km (eight miles) in less than an hour.Constructed almost entirely of wood, the draisine weighed 22 kg (48 pounds), had brass bushings within the wheel bearings, iron shod wheels, a rear-wheel brake and 152 mm (6 inches) of trail of the front-wheel for a self-centering caster effect.