Recycling

Have children’s balance bikes reached a tipping point? The pedal-free machines–which look a lot like the world’s first bicycle–have gone mainstream, rolling over the competition in stores and on reality TV.

1817

Germany’s Baron Karl von Drais invents a wooden contraption–two in-line wheels, no pedals–designed for gliding. The French call it a draisienne; the English, a hobbyhorse

1860s

The velocipede adds pedals to the front wheel; wooden spokes and iron rims that clatter over cobblestones help earn it the nickname “boneshaker”

1870

Bicycles with huge front wheels begin to surge in popularity. Initially called ordinaries, they are later dubbed penny-farthings, in reference to two British coins that are different sizes

1887

The safety bike marks a return to wheels of similar size; their solid rubber tires will soon be replaced by pneumatic ones

1868

The word bicycle catches on as interest in the riding machine spreads from Europe to the U.S.

1949

Training wheels take off; Huffy claims to have invented them, selling a convertible bike that aids children’s balance while they learn how to pedal

1913

Three-speed bikes are all the rage–until 10-speeds come along

1969

The Big Wheel, in all its red, blue and yellow plasticized glory, rolls out from Louis Marx & Co.

2000s

Bicycle design comes full circle as parents buy their tots wooden, pedal-free models that prioritize learning how to balance over how to pedal. As these pricey gliders (a Skuut costs $100) proliferate, Walmart and other mass retailers begin to sell cheaper versions (a metal WeeRide costs $30)

2011

Balance bikes take a spin on reality TV, with Kiddimoto winning big bucks from investors on Britain’s Dragons’ Den to help grow its wooden-bike business

The future

With indie bike dealers reporting slower sales of tricycles and training-wheel bikes for the first half of 2011, these childhood icons could go the way of the velocipede