Where and how did the bicycle start? The first steps took place around 3500 B.C.E. in the Middle East. Historians believe that people put potter’s wheels on carts, making the first wheeled vehicles.
Technology moved slowly for the next 53 centuries. Then came small but major changes, including spoked wheels, gears, and lighter, stronger metals. Spoked wheels are lighter and more aerodynamic than solid wheels.
In 1817, German Baron Karl von Drais de Sauerbronn created a “walking machine,” or “hobbyhorse,” to help move people around the royal gardens. It had no pedals. The rider sat on it and pushed it with his feet. This is seen as the first bicycle-like device.