Gazelle houten boneshaker met paardenhoofd
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Wooden ‘boneshaker’ with horse’s head, from the Netherlands, 1870

Cyclists were firmly shaken.

The first vélocipèdes often have a wooden frame. For the purpose of mass production, the wood is replaced by a steel version with wheels made of metal and wood. Paved roads are few and far between, which makes cycling very uncomfortable. Soon the contraption is nicknamed boneshaker by the English. Dutch boneshakers do not have a brake. The Dutch landscape and roads are flat, which makes a brake unnecessary in the opinion of the manufacturers.