Denver Transportation To Vail

Admin | December 12, 2011 | Comments Off

Denver Transportation To Vail

Denver Transportation To Vail

The "Wheel"

The year 1879 saw the first bicycles offered for sale in Denver, Colorado. They were models known as the "Wheel". The front tire usually measured fifty-six to sixty inches with a much smaller rear wheel. By 1881, there were fifteen of them cruising the streets. Cycling was catching on and, in the 1880s, Bicycle Clubs were forming. The Denver Wheel Club was the first, with the Rambler's Club, Arapaho Wheel Club, and Burlington Wheel Club, composed of Burlington Railroad employees, soon to follow.

The Safety Bicycle is Introduced

In 1891, the "Safety Bicycle" was introduced. It resembled the modern bicycle with two wheels the same size, a pedal that connected to the rear wheel with a chain, front and rear suspension and was easily mass-produced. You could have a pneumatic "Saddle" and kerosene-burning "Search Light" lantern for night riding. The common man could now afford transportation that did not need to be fed or groomed. Bicycle club membership grew by leaps and bounds, businesses started to use bicycles for delivery and several Police Departments organized Bicycle Corps. In 1894, a message was sent from Washington D. C. to Denver by relays of bicycle riders. The distance of two thousand miles was covered in six days. Also in 1894, Mr. Henry H. Clark, with a companion, rode a bicycle from Aspen to Detroit and back to Aspen.