This
mountain bicycle features oversized tires, a full-suspension frame, two disc brakes and handlebars oriented perpendicular to the bike's axis.A
time trialracing bicycleA Half Wheeler
trailer bike at the
Golden Gate BridgeWorking bicycle in
Amsterdam, NetherlandsA
BMX bike, an example of a bicycle designed for
sportA racing
upright bicycleA
recumbent bicycleDiagram of a bicycleA
Triumph with a
step-through frameA set of rear sprockets (also known as a cassette) and a derailleurBicycles leaning in a turnA
bicycle with shaft drive instead of a chainA Selle San Marco saddle designed for womenLinear-pull brake, also known by the
Shimano trademark: V-Brake, on rear wheel of a
mountain bikeA front disc brake, mounted to the
fork and hubTouring bicycle equipped with
head lamp,
pump, rear
rack, fenders/mud-guards, water bottles and
cages, and numerous pannier bagsPuncture repair kit with tire levers, sandpaper to clean off an area of the inner tube around the puncture, a tube of rubber solution (vulcanizing fluid), round and oval patches, a metal grater and piece of chalk to make chalk powder (to dust over excess rubber solution). Kits often also include a wax crayon to mark the puncture location.A
bike-sharingstation in BarcelonaWoman with bicycle, 1890sA man uses a bicycle to carry goods in
Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
The following
outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to bicycles:
Bicycle – pedal-driven,
human-powered,
single-track vehicle, having two
wheels attached to a
frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist or a bicyclist, and the activity is called
cycling. Also known as a bike, push bike or cycle.
What type of thing is a bicycle?
Bicycles can be described as all of the following:
The bicycle has undergone continual adaptation and improvement since its inception. These innovations have continued with the advent of modern materials and computer-aided design, allowing for a proliferation of specialized bicycle types.
Uses
Bicycles have been and are employed for many uses:
Unicycles,
tricycles and
quadracycles are not strictly bicycles, as they have respectively one, three and four wheels, but are often referred to informally as "bikes".
In its early years, bicycle construction drew on pre-existing technologies. More recently, bicycle technology has in turn contributed ideas in both old and new areas.
A number of formal and industry standards exist for bicycle components to help make spare parts exchangeable and to maintain a minimum product safety.
The
International Organization for Standardization,
ISO, has a special technical committee for cycles, TC149, that has the following scope: "Standardization in the field of cycles, their components and accessories with particular reference to terminology, testing methods and requirements for performance and safety, and interchangeability."
CEN, European Committee for Standardization, also has a specific Technical Committee, TC333, that defines European standards for cycles. Their mandate states that EN cycle standards shall harmonize with
ISO standards. Some CEN cycle standards were developed before ISO published their standards, leading to strong European influences in this area. European cycle standards tend to describe minimum safety requirements, while ISO standards have historically harmonized parts geometry. The TC149 ISO bicycle committee, including the TC149/SC1 ("Cycles and major sub-assemblies") subcommittee, has published the following standards:
The
Vienna Convention on Road Traffic of the
United Nations considers a bicycle to be a vehicle, and a person controlling a bicycle (whether actually riding or not) is considered an operator.