With bicycle sales soar, and nations spending billions to redesign their cities with a renewed focus on two-wheeled transportation, it’s worth remembering that there was a time when bicycles were the latest, greatest thing – the ultimate must-have gadget, a sleek, affordable mode of transport that could whisk you anywhere at any time. And like any new technology, it came with its own set of stereotypes, many of them still with us today.
For example, when it first became popular for women to ride bicycles in the 1800s, they had to change their clothes – the pedals and wheels of their dresses would get caught up in the bike, leading to the introduction of bloomers, a type of loose-fitting pant that was less clingy than a skirt. Medical doctors were also not keen on women riding bikes, spreading what could generously be described as misogynistic pseudoscience – it was thought that cycling caused a woman’s face to “plunge” and her skeleton to be permanently altered in shape.
Even the name of Queen’s classic 1978 single, Bicycle Race, reflects some of these stereotypes – it was recorded while the band were recording their Jazz album in Montreux, and the video features 65 naked professional models racing around Wimbledon stadium on a variety of rented bicycles. When the company that provided them discovered how the bicycles were being used, they demanded that the band pay for replacements! And yet, despite the fact that this song sounds like a stream of conscious rant about bicycle desire and nothing else, it gets stuck in your head. Maybe it’s the fact that it’s a mash-up of cultural references, noises and rhythms.
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