自行车简史_参考网

自行车简史

2012-09-12frompedalinghistory.com译/陈文

新东方英语 2012年9期

from pedalinghistory.com 译/陈文

A modern bicycle by definition is a rider-powered vehicle with two wheels in tandem1), powered by the rider turning pedals2) that are connected to the rear wheel by a chain, and having handlebars for steering3) and a saddlelike seat for the rider. With that definition in mind, lets look at the history of early bicycles that led up to the modern bicycle.

The Walking Machine

In 1817 Baron von Drais invented a walking machine that would help him get around the royal gardens faster: two same-size in-line wheels, the front one steerable, mounted in a frame which you straddled4). The device was propelled by pushing your feet against the ground, thus rolling yourself and the device forward in a sort of gliding walk. The machine became known as hobby horse. It was made entirely of wood. This enjoyed a short-lived popularity as a fad5), not being practical for transportation in any other place than a well maintained pathway such as in a park or garden.

The Velocipede6) or Boneshaker7)

The next appearance of a two-wheeled riding machine was in 1865, when pedals were applied directly to the front wheel. This machine was known as the velocipede, but was popularly known as the boneshaker, since it was also made entirely of wood, then later with metal tires8), and the combination of these with the cobblestone roads of the day made for an extremely uncomfortable ride. They also became a fad, and indoor riding academies, similar to roller rinks, could be found in large cities.

The High Wheel Bicycle

In 1870 the first all-metal machine appeared. (Previous to this metallurgy9) was not advanced enough to provide metal strong enough to make small, light parts out of.) The pedals were still attached directly to the front wheel with no freewheeling10) mechanism. Solid rubber tires and the long spokes11) of the large front wheel provided a much smoother ride than its predecessor. The front wheels became larger and larger as makers realized that the larger the wheel, the farther you could travel with one rotation12) of the pedals. You would purchase a wheel as large as your leg length would allow. This machine was the first one to be called a bicycle (two wheel). These bicycles enjoyed a great popularity among young men of means (they cost an average worker six months pay), with the hey-day being the decade of the 1880s.

Because the rider sat so high above the center of gravity, if the front wheel was stopped by a stone or rut in the road, or the sudden emergence of a dog, the entire apparatus13) rotated forward on its front axle, and the rider, with his legs trapped under the handlebars, was dropped unceremoniously14) on his head. Thus the term “taking a header” came into being.

The High Wheel Tricycle

While the men were risking their necks on the high wheels, ladies, confined to their long skirts and corsets15), could take a spin16) around the park on an adult tricycle. These machines also afforded more dignity to gentlemen such as doctors and clergymen. Many mechanical innovations now associated with the automobile were originally invented for tricycles.

The High Wheel Safety

Improvements to the design began to be seen, many with the small wheel in the front to eliminate the tipping-forward problem. One model was promoted by its manufacturer by being ridden down the front steps of the capitol building in Washington, DC. These designs became known as high-wheel safety bicycles. Since the older high-wheel designs had been known simply as bicycles, they were now referred to as “ordinary bicycles” in comparison with the newfangled17) designs, and then simply as “ordinaries.”

The Hard-Tired Safety

The further improvement of metallurgy sparked the next innovation, or rather return to previous design. With metal that was now strong enough to make a fine chain and sprocket18) small and light enough for a human being to power, the next design was a return to the original configuration of two same-size wheels; only now, instead of just one wheel circumference for every pedal turn, you could, through the gear ratios, have a speed the same as the huge high-wheel. The bicycles still had the hard rubber tires, and in the absence of the long, shock-absorbing spokes, the ride they provided was much more uncomfortable than any of the high-wheel designs. These designs competed with each other, your choice being the high-wheels comfort or the safetys safety, but the next innovation tolled19) the death of the high-wheel design.

The Pneumatic20)-Tired Safety

The pneumatic tire was first applied to the bicycle by an Irish veterinarian who was trying to give his young son a more comfortable ride on his tricycle. This inventive young doctors name was Dunlop. Sound familiar? Now that comfort and safety could be had in the same package, and that package was getting cheaper as manufacturing methods improved, everyone clamored21) to ride the bicycle.

The bicycle was what made the Gay Nineties22) gay. It was a practical investment for the working man as transportation, and gave him a much greater flexibility for leisure. Ladies, heretofore consigned to riding the heavy adult size tricycles that were only practical for taking a turn around the park, now could ride a much more versatile machine and still keep their legs covered with long skirts. The bicycle craze killed the bustle23) and the corset, instituted “common-sense dressing” for women and increased their mobility considerably. In 1896 Susan Anthony24) said that “the bicycle has done more for the emancipation of women than anything else in the world.”

Bicycling was so popular in the 1880s and 1890s that cyclists formed the League of American Wheelman. The League lobbied for better roads, literally paving the road for the automobile.

The Kids Bike

Introduced just after the First World War by several manufacturers—such as Mead, Sears Roebuck, and Montgomery Ward—to revitalize the bike industry, these designs, now called “classic,” featured automobile and motorcycle elements to appeal to kids who, presumably, would rather have a motor. If ever a bike needed a motor, this was it. These bikes evolved into the most glamorous, fabulous, ostentatious, heavy designs ever. They were built into the middle 1950s, by which time they had taken on design elements of jet aircraft and even rockets. By the 1960s, they were becoming leaner and simpler.

The Current Scene

Now lets take a look at the recent history of the bicycle in America: the “English 3-speed” of the 1950s through the 1970s, the 10-speed derailleur25) bikes which were popular in the 1970s, and of course the mountain bike of right now. There are also many oddball designs that never quite made it, including the Ingo (you have to see it to believe it).

一辆现代意义上的自行车是指一种有前后两个轮子的人力交通工具。它由人踩动踏板提供动力，踏板通过链条与后轮连接；车上有车把来控制方向，有一个像马鞍似的座儿供骑车人坐。基于这些认识，我们来回顾一下早期自行车的历史，看看自行车是如何发展到现代的。

助走自行车

1817年，冯德莱斯男爵发明了一种助走自行车，它可以让男爵在皇家花园里闲逛时走得更快。这种自行车有两个同样大小并处于一条直线上的车轮，前轮可控制方向。这两个车轮被安装在一个车架里，人就跨骑在车架上面。这种自行车靠人脚蹬地面来获取动力，人和车借此向前滑动。人们把这种自行车称为玩具马，它完全是木制的。这种自行车只风靡了很短的一段时间，因为它除了适合在公园或花园这样平坦的路面上骑外，在其他地方并不是一种实用的交通工具。

脚踏两轮车或老颠车

两个轮子的自行车的第二次出现是在1865年，这一次，车的踏板直接连接在前轮上。该车被称为脚踏车，但它更广为人知的叫法是老颠车，因为它也完全是木制的，后来车轮改用金属制成，这样的材质再加上当时的鹅卵石路，骑起来十分难受。这种车也风靡一时，而且大城市里还出现了室内骑车学校，有点像现在的溜冰场。

高轮自行车

1870年，第一辆完全由金属制成的自行车问世了。(在此之前，冶金业还不够发达，造不出强度足够大的金属来制造小而轻巧的零件。)此时自行车的踏板仍然固定在前轮上，车上没有靠惯性滑行的装置。结实的橡胶轮胎和巨大的前轮上长长的辐条使车子骑起来比以前更为平稳。后来，前轮变得越来越大，因为制造者意识到，前轮越大，骑车人踩动一圈踏板所走的路程就越远。所以，人们尽可以买大的轮子，只要自己的腿长允许就行。这种车是第一辆被称为自行车(两轮车)的装置。这款自行车一度受到富家子弟的热烈追捧(当时买一辆自行车的钱等于一个普通工人六个月的工资)，其受欢迎程度在19世纪80年代达到了顶峰。

由于骑车人所坐的位置远高于车重心，所以一旦前轮碰到路上的石头或坑洼的阻挡，或者路上突然冒出来一条狗时，整个车子就会沿车轴向前翻滚。而骑车人由于腿卡在车把下面无法跳开，就会头冲下摔倒在地，非常狼狈。“倒栽葱”这个短语就是这么产生的。

高轮三轮车

当男士们冒着摔断脖子的危险骑高轮两轮车时，受限于长裙和紧身内衣的女士们则可以骑着成人三轮车在公园里闲逛。同时，这种车也使医生和牧师这样的绅士看上去更庄重、体面些。事实上，现在与汽车相关的许多机械方面的创新最初都是为这种三轮自行车发明的。

高轮安全车

在自行车的设计上，新的改进开始出现，许多改进方案都是将小轮改放在前面以避免向前翻车的问题。在一款车的推销活动中，制造商甚至骑着这款车沿着华盛顿国会大厦前的楼梯往下走。这些新设计出来的自行车被称为高轮安全型自行车。由于之前的高轮车简单地叫做自行车，现在这些车就叫“普通自行车”，主要是与之前的新奇设计相比而言的，后来就干脆简称为“普通车”。

硬轮胎安全车

冶金术的进一步发展激发了自行车设计的又一次革新，确切地说，自行车的设计又回归到了先前的版本。由于当时的金属已有足够的强度，可以制作出可供人力使用的小巧轻便的优质链条和链轮齿，新的设计又回归到了原来两轮大小相同的构造，只是有一点不同：以前踏板转一圈轮子也转一圈，现在可以通过齿轮比例获得与高轮车同样的速度。这种自行车仍然用硬橡胶轮胎，但是却没有了减震的长辐条，所以骑起来比任何高轮车都要难受。这些设计相互竞争，人们既可以选择高轮车的舒服，也可以选择安全型车的安全。不过，下一次创新就彻底宣告了高轮车设计的灭亡。

充气轮胎安全车

第一个把充气轮胎应用到自行车上的人是一位爱尔兰兽医，他想出这个办法是为了让自己的小儿子在骑三轮车时更舒服。这位独出心裁的年轻医生名叫邓禄普。听起来很熟悉吧？(编注：邓禄普是世界著名的轮胎品牌)经过他的改进，自行车兼备了舒适性和安全性，而且由于制作方法的进步，其价格也变得更加便宜，所以人人都争前恐后地骑这种自行车。

从1890年到1900年，自行车使这快乐的十年时光充满了欢声笑语。对于上班族来说，它是一项很实用的交通工具方面的投资；而对于休闲娱乐来说，它能让上班族有更多灵活的安排。女士们以前只能骑着笨重的成人三轮车在公园里转悠，现在却可以骑这种更方便的自行车，同时还能确保长裙遮腿。这阵自行车热让女士们抛弃了裙撑和紧身内衣，为她们开启了“常识性着装”的穿衣风格，大大增加了她们的活动能力。苏珊·安东尼曾在1896年说过，“对于妇女解放，自行车比世界上其他任何事物的贡献都大。”

在19世纪80和90年代，自行车运动十分流行，爱好者们甚至组建了“美国脚踏车手联盟”。该联盟四处游说政府建设更平整的道路，而这实际上是给汽车的发展铺平了道路。

儿童自行车

一战以后，许多厂商——如米德、西尔斯·罗巴克、蒙哥马利·沃德——都试图复兴自行车行业，它们引入了一些新的设计。这些今天被称为“经典”的设计中包含了汽车和摩托车的一些元素，以便吸引孩子们的注意力，因为厂商们认为孩子会更喜欢有发动机的自行车。如果自行车真需要发动机的话，那这种车就是了。这些自行车演变成了最迷人、最非凡、最夺目和最笨重的设计。一直到20世纪50年代中期，这样的车还在生产，那时人们还采用了喷气式飞机甚至火箭的设计元素。到了20世纪60年代，这种自行车就变得越来越轻便、简洁了。

如今的自行车

现在让我们一起来看看近期美国自行车的历史：20世纪50年代至70年代的“英式三速”自行车，20世纪70年代流行的十速变速自行车，当然还有现在的山地自行车。除此之外，还有许多古怪的设计从未有机会面市，比如英戈自行车(你只有亲眼见了才会相信)。

1. in tandem：一前一后地

2. pedal [?ped(?)l] n. 踏板；脚蹬子

3. steering [?st??r??] n. 转向装置

4. straddle [?str?d(?)l] vt. 跨坐于

5. fad [f?d] n. 时尚，一时流行的狂热

6. velocipede [v??l?s?pi?d] n. 早期的脚踏两轮车

7. boneshaker [?b??n??e?k?(r)] n. 破旧颠簸的交通工具(尤指自行车)

8. tire [?ta??(r)] n. 轮箍；轮胎

9. metallurgy [m??t?l?(r)d?i] n. 冶金，冶金术

10. freewheeling [?fri?wi?l??] adj. 惯性滑行的