Londonist: Time Machine

Londonist: Time Machine

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Londonist: Time Machine
Londonist: Time Machine
London's first cyclists: when the 'dandy horse' was the talk of the town

London's first cyclists: when the 'dandy horse' was the talk of the town

The Rise of the Velocipede

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Londonist
Jul 19, 2023
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Londonist: Time Machine
Londonist: Time Machine
London's first cyclists: when the 'dandy horse' was the talk of the town
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detail of a green plaque showing a hatted man on a hobby horse cycle
Image: Matt Brown

Welcome to your weekly free newsletter from Londonist: Time Machine.

It’s over 200 years since the first bikes hit London. These early “velocipedes” were heavy, expensive and lacked pedals, but could still outpace a horse under the right circumstances.

For today’s newsletter, I’ve scoured the newspaper archives to find out what Londoners…

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