The Bicycle Thieves – mattstoller.substack.com

Matt Stoller
In 1817, German Baron Karl von Drais introduced a two wheeled machine called the Dandy Horse to the world. The Dandy Horse had no pedals or gears, but it was the first of what would eventually become known as the bicycle. Eventually engineers and tinkerers added modern tires, brakes, drivetrains, and so forth, improving comfort, feel, and speed. There were two ‘bicycle crazes’ in the 19th century alone, and mass production began in the 1860s. The bike industry, in other words, is very old. 
Today there are a billion bikes worldwide, and in some cities, biking is a key part of taking cars off the road, improving traffic and reducing pollution.