A Trip to the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT)

Hello, 

A week ago we were given the task to visit the Museum of Transport and Technology which is located at 805 Great North Road & Meola Road, Western Springs, Auckland 1022, New Zealand. We were given two weeks to complete this module and we were told to go there to choose a technology and its development throughout the years. 

Figure 1 : MOTAT entrance.

 For this assignment i chose the bicycle as the technology of my choice. The bicycle itself is considered a "green" type of moving vehicle as it does not produce emissions just by cycling.  It is an alternative means of transport and sometimes a time saver as during jams the bicycle can be used to get to destinations quicker and at the same time we are doing our exercise which means it is another plus for health conscious people. Bicycles come in different forms, shapes and sizes and is catered to people of varying age and size. Unitec itself is promoting the use of bicycles to get around campus easily through their "book a bike" campaign which promotes the use of bicycles provided by Auckland Transport to get around the campus instead of using a car or the shuttle bus which consumes precious fuel.

History
Earlier on in 1817 the first bicycle which was known as the Draisienne or hobby horse was created as a means of faster transport than walking. Drais invented a walking machine that would get him from point A to point B quicker and this differs from a conventional bicycle in a way that it doesn't have pedals and so the user propel themselves forward by pushing with their legs so it would look like that person is gliding instead of walking. This invention proved to be an easy way to get around but when it comes to hills or uneven roads this invention proved to be a tiring means of transport compared to walking.

Figure 2 : Draisienne. retrieved from :http://augrenierdantan.centerblog.net/202-draisienne-1817

The next type of bicycle to come after the Draisienne was called the Velocipede of Boneshaker which is given as the name of the bicycle because of the rock hard ride of the bicycle due to the tires being made of just wood and after that, metal. This invention came in 1865 and the pedals are placed beside the front wheels so this is considered to be a front wheel driven bicycle compared to bicycles of today which are rear wheel driven.

Figure 3 : Boneshaker. Picture taken in MOTAT.

The next invention to come after the boneshaker was the High wheel bicycle which is also known as the Penny Farthing and is invented in 1870. The pedals are installed on the front wheels like the previous invention and the reason why the wheel was so big was so that the ride would be much more comfortable compared to the boneshaker. The bigger wheel was also utilized due to the fact that a bigger wheel would cover more distance in one cyclic revolution compared to a smaller wheel which would cover much less distance with the same amount of pedal movement. Back in the days these bikes costed an average worker 6 months of their hard earned money and the wheel's size is limited to how long the rider's leg is. Due to the high seating position of this bicycle the chances of falling down due to small accidents became apparent .

Figure 4 : The Penny-Farthing. Picture taken in MOTAT.

The next bicycle to come in line after the High Wheel tricycle which was used by ladies due to the fact that ladies wearing long skirts sitting high above the ground would prove impractical.  It is said that innovations like the rack and pinion steering, the differential from the vehicle we drive today came from this invention.

Figure 5: The high wheel tricycle. Retrieved from : http://noeperez.net/design/pedaling-history/phbm/hwt.html

 The next bicycle to come after the high wheel tricycle was the hard tired safety. Due to the advancements in metallurgy, the metal used on the bicycle is now strong enough. This also means that a fine chain as well as the wheel sprocket can be made without being too heavy or weak that it would break as a person is cycling along. This new generation of bicycles also gave birth to the invention of gear ratios therefore eliminating the big wheel  like in the penny farthing. Utilisation of the gear ratios mean that the same distance could be covered like the penny farthing but the difference is that this uses gear ratios to achieve the same goal. This bicycle design was also uncomfortable as the wheels were made of solid, hard, rubber and also due to the reason being that the shock absorbers were not implemented yet.

Figure 6 : The hard tired Safety. Retrieved from : http://noeperez.net/design/pedaling-history/phbm/hts.html

The pneumatic Tired Safety bicycle is the bicycle similar to what we have today and the name coincides with the pneumatic referring to the tire being inflated by air. This was first applied by an Irish veterinarian who, in that time wanted to give his son a more comfortable ride on his tricycle. The name of the inventor was Dunlop. Ladies who wore long skirts are now able to use this bicycle which was much more versatile compared to the tricycle that they rode in before this which was big and much less versatile. Cycling was so popular in the 1880s and 1890s that cyclists formed the League of American Wheelman.

Figure 7 : The pneumatic tired safety. Retrieved from : http://www.prices4antiques.com/item_images/medium/29/95/61-01.jpg

 
The next type of bicycle was made to attract the younger generation into buying this bicycle. The main attraction of this bike is from the motorcycle and automobile elements that can be found on the bicycle. This proved popular to kids who wanted a vehicle but were still too young to drive and therefore they resort to this bike which is called the Kid's Bike and weighed around 65 pounds and further in the year they were built and implemented with design elements coming from jet aircrafts and even rockets. By the 1960's, the design of these bikes became much more leaner and simpler.

Figure 8 : The Kid's bike. Retrieved from : http://idreamofbikes.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/kids-bike.gif?w=500

 The invention and design of the bicycle has come a long way since its introduction back in the 1800's and many forms have been produced over the years until the current design of the mountain bike which provided much more flexibility and adjustments that cater to different cyclists. These adjustments came in the form of adjusting stiffness of the ride through the absorbers in the front and back of the vehicle, to adjusting the height of the seat and also the range of gears a bike has that can negotiate different levels of speeds and cycling effort.

Figure 9 : Mountain bike. Picture taken in MOTAT.

The impact the bicycle has on the society is very big as it changes the way people move around. For certain countries like in the United States courier services use bicycles as a way if transporting packages quickly as in the traffic situation of New York deem vehicle delivery of packages much slower compared to bicycles which can zip in and around traffic quicker and move in to tight spots which would be a restriction for a vehicle. Other than that it is a cheaper means of transport as it does not cost much to maintain the bicycle and can last a few years with proper maintenance. The use of a bicycle also promotes healthy living as it encourages people to use cycling as a means of recreation.

The bicycle taught the Wright brothers how important the balancing of wind currents is in the operation of an airplane and the uses of light wight steel bicycle tubing allowed their first airplane to actually fly. Even Henry Ford who was the first to mass produce vehicles was a bicycle mechanic at first and took inspiration from the bicycle and implemented them in to the automobile. The bicycle is considered a mechanical marvel because it can support up to 10 times its own weight and it is also thermodynamically efficient than any other animal or machine because the bicycle acts as an almost automatic extension of the human body.(Babson College, Professor Bicycle's Top Ten Social Impacts of the Bicycle, n.d)

References :
- Bicycle Pedaling History Museum (n.d). A quick history of Bicycles. Retrieved from : http://www.pedalinghistory.com/PHhistory.html
-  Au Grenier d'Antan (2012, March 25). Draisienne-1817. Retrieved 28 August, 2013 from: http://augrenierdantan.centerblog.net/202-draisienne-1817
- Pedaling History (n.d). The story of the Bicycle. Retrieved 28 August, 2013 from : http://noeperez.net/design/pedaling-history/phbm/hwt.html
- Prices4Antiques.com (n.d). Bicycle; Comet, Pneumatic Tire Safety, circa 1895. Retrieved 28 August, 2013 from : http://www.prices4antiques.com/Bicycle-Comet-Pneumatic-Tire-Safety-circa-1895-D9950438.html
- idreamofbikes (n.d). History of Bicycles. Retrieved 28 August, 2013 from : http://idreamofbikes.wordpress.com/historyofbikes/