2. Pneumatic tyre
2. Pneumatic tyre
The first tyres as we know them on bicycles were solid rubber bands around the edge of the penny farthing’s wheels.
But in 1887, John Boyd Dunlop made a set of pneumatic tyres for his son’s bike to help him with the headaches he’d been getting while riding. This turned into the Dunlop tyre company who then progressed to figuring out ways to prevent punctures such as adding a tough canvas layer to the rubber.
But none of these were detachable, and in 1891 Édouard Michelin developed a tyre that could be held onto the rim by clamps, and then detached in order to repair punctures.
From there came the glued on tubular, and that progressed into the clincher and inner tube combination that you’ll find on 99 per cent of bikes today.