The origin of the bicycle crank
2025-04-15
The origin of the bicycle crank is closely related to the development history of the bicycle.
The following are some key stages of its development:
- Early Explorations: At the end of the 18th century, a Frenchman named Comte de Sivrac invented the earliest bicycle, which had no driving device, and the rider propelled it forward by pedaling the ground with both feet. In 1817, a German named Karl Drais invented a wooden two-wheeled bicycle with a handlebar, but it still required the rider to push it forward by pedaling the ground with both feet.
- The Emergence of the Crank: In 1839, a Scotsman named Kirkpatrick Macmillan installed cranks on the front axle of the wheel and then used connecting rods to link the cranks with the front pedals. This truly enabled people's feet to leave the ground, changing the motion from alternating pedaling on the ground to the rolling of the wheels. However, in this design, the crank was directly installed on the front axle of the wheel. In 1865, the French installed rotating cranks on the front wheels of the Draisienne, triggering the first global bicycle craze. In 1866, the French inventor Pierre Lallemant obtained a patent for the rotary crank bicycle. The transmission device he added consisted of a rotary crank mechanism and pedals connected to the front hub, creating the first bicycle in the true sense.
- Improvements in Indirect Transmission: Later, in order to solve some problems of direct transmission, designers introduced the method of indirect transmission, moving the crank away from the axle and using transmission components such as a chain and sprocket combination to transfer the motion of the crank to the wheels. By adjusting the gear ratio, the driving of the bicycle became more reasonable, and it also solved the problem that the driving wheel had to be a large wheel, making the design of the bicycle more scientific and reasonable.
Through continuous improvement and innovation, the design and application of the bicycle crank gradually matured, laying the foundation for the development of modern bicycles.
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