May is National Bike Month. To celebrate, we’re reprising some of our best content on the history of bicycles. Ride along with Buffalo Soldiers, the League of American Wheelmen, and other cycling enthusiasts.
The Adventurous Life and Mysterious Death of Frank Lenz
December 19, 2022
In 1892, the master cyclist set out to tour the world on wheels. A few months later, he disappeared, never to be heard from again. What happened to Frank Lenz?
Biking While Black in DC
August 23, 2024
Because of its political structure, Washington became a test case in federally mandated laws that enabled racially discriminatory policing of public space.
When Cyclists Made Up an Entire Political Bloc
August 26, 2018
The League of American Wheelmen was originally intended to spread bicycle appreciation. The 1896 presidential election changed all that.
The Moral Threat of Bicycles in the 1890s
February 22, 2016
The bicycle craze of the 19th century, in which both men and women participated, was seen as a moral affront by church leaders.
Buffalo Soldiers and the Bicycle Corps
February 8, 2022
Buffalo Soldiers were assigned to assess bicycles as military transportation on the frontier at the end of the nineteenth century.
Who Killed the Recumbent Bicycle?
May 18, 2021
How a dominant technology became viewed as the only option, with no need for better-designed competitors.
Dervla Murphy: The Godmother of Hitting the Road
November 20, 2023
Perhaps the greatest female travel writer of her generation, Murphy defied the narrative of the dutiful Irish daughter—and motherhood—to find freedom.
How World War I Put Boys on Bikes
August 16, 2017
The first modern bicycles were for adults. Ads for boys’ bikes drew from, and fed into, a changing vision of boyhood during World War I.
That Time a Self-Driving Car Stared Down a Cyclist
September 10, 2015
A cyclist in Austin, Texas had an awkward encounter with a Google self-driving car when he approached a 4-way stop at the same time as the vehicle.
The End of the Country Road
October 23, 2019
When “good roads” first became a political issue, rural people were decidedly not the ones advocating for them.
Are Cyclists Reckless Lawbreakers?
August 28, 2020
Three researchers investigate whether bicyclists deserve their negative reputation.
The Hunt for the Massachusetts “Wild Man”
July 31, 2022
In a tale with as many false identities as supposed crimes, investigative reporter Annie “Londonderry” Kopchovsky gets her man (maybe).
Editor’s Note: This page was updated in 2025 to add new links!
Got a hot tip about an awesome bicycle story we should cover? Email us here.
