What Are the Old Names for Bikes?

Early bicycles were known by a variety of names, including draisine (also called the dandy horse or hobby-horse), velocipede, boneshaker, high-wheeler (or ordinary), penny-farthing, and later the safety bicycle. These terms reflect successive stages in design from foot-propelled machines to the modern chain-driven form.

Early Inventions (1810s–1850s)

Before pedals and chains, the first two-wheelers were balance machines pushed along by the rider’s feet. Their names captured novelty and origin, often varying by language and region.

• Draisine: The 1817 German invention by Karl Drais; a steerable, foot-propelled two-wheeler.
• Dandy horse: An English nickname for the draisine, reflecting its fashionable urban appeal.
• Hobby-horse: Another English term for the draisine, common in the 1818–1820 craze.
• Laufmaschine: German for “running machine,” Drais’s own term for his device.
• Velocipede: A broader 19th-century label (from Latin “swift foot”) applied to many early cycles, especially before “bicycle” became standard.

These names describe the pre-pedal era when riders scooted rather than pedaled, establishing the two-wheeler’s core idea: steerable balance with inline wheels.

Pedals and the High-Wheel Era (1860s–1880s)

Attaching cranks and pedals to the front wheel transformed velocipedes into rideable machines, and larger front wheels followed to boost speed. The period produced distinctive nicknames tied to comfort and wheel size.

• Boneshaker: A mid-1860s pedal velocipede with iron tires and wooden frames, notorious for a rough ride on cobbles.
• High-wheeler: The big-front-wheel bicycle of the 1870s–1880s, built for speed and efficiency.
• Ordinary (or Ordinary bicycle): The period’s own term for the high-wheeler, distinguishing it from later “safeties.”
• Penny-farthing: A later popular name for the high-wheeler, likening the large and small wheels to British coins; widely used today, though largely a post-period label.

These names reflect both engineering choices—front-wheel drive and massive wheels—and rider experience, from bone-jarring frames to precarious height.

The Rise of the Safety Bicycle (1880s–1890s)

Chain drive to the rear wheel, equal-sized wheels, and improved tires revolutionized cycling. The terminology shifted as makers emphasized stability and everyday use.

• Safety bicycle: The late-1880s design with two similar wheels, a chain to the rear wheel, and a lower center of gravity.
• Diamond-frame: A descriptive term for the now-standard triangular frame layout of safety bikes.
• Roadster: A sturdy, upright safety bicycle for commuting and general transport, especially in Britain and the Commonwealth.

“Safety” distinguished the new, practical bicycle from the risky high-wheeler, ushering in the modern era of mass cycling in the 1890s.

Regional and Colloquial Terms

Beyond technical labels, riders and newspapers adopted regional slang and shorthand that also functioned as “old names” for bicycles in everyday speech.

• Pushbike: Common in the UK and Australia for a pedal bicycle (not motorized), dating to the late 19th century.
• Wheel: A popular 1890s American shorthand (“taking a spin on the wheel”).
• Cycle: A generic alternative to “bicycle,” often used in early catalogues and clubs.
• Two-wheeler: A descriptive catch-all, sometimes used to distinguish from tricycles.
• Push iron / pushie: Colloquial terms found in Australia and parts of the UK for a pedal bicycle.
• Sit-up-and-beg: British nickname for upright-handlebar roadsters, especially mid-20th century but rooted in earlier roadster culture.

These informal names varied by country and era, showing how cycling embedded itself in everyday language alongside the formal terms.

What Counts as “Old” Depends on Context

For the earliest machines, draisine, dandy horse, hobby-horse, and velocipede dominate. For 19th-century pedal bikes, boneshaker and high-wheeler/ordinary (later popularly penny-farthing) are the key historical names. For the modern pattern, safety bicycle and roadster mark the transition to today’s designs. In common speech, pushbike and wheel also serve as historically grounded alternatives.

Summary

Historically, bicycles were called draisines (dandy horse, hobby-horse), velocipedes, boneshakers, high-wheelers or ordinaries (later widely known as penny-farthings), and, from the late 1880s, safety bicycles and roadsters. Regional colloquialisms such as pushbike, wheel, and push iron also appear in period sources, reflecting the bicycle’s evolution from a foot-pushed novelty to the chain-driven standard we recognize today.

What is the old name for a bike?

Velocipede
1817 to 1819: The Draisine or Velocipede
He patented this design in 1818, which was the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable, human-propelled machine, commonly called a velocipede, and nicknamed hobby-horse or dandy horse.

What are the old bikes called?

Velocipede
The Penny Farthing came after the development of the ‘Hobbyhorse’, and the French ‘Velocipede’ or ‘Boneshaker’, all versions of early bikes.

What were bikes originally called?

The first bicycle was called a Laufmaschine (or “running machine”) by its inventor, German Baron Karl von Drais, in 1817. It was also known by other names like the “hobby-horse,” “dandy-horse,” and “draisine,” and the term “velocipede” was later applied to pedal-powered versions.
 
Key details about the first “bicycle”:

• Laufmaschine/Draisine: The first version, invented by Karl von Drais, was essentially a wooden frame with two wheels and handlebars for steering. 
• No Pedals: It lacked pedals, gears, or chains; the rider propelled it by pushing their feet against the ground, similar to a modern balance bike. 
• Wooden Construction: The early machine was made almost entirely of wood with iron-shod wheels. 
• Popularity and Decline: It gained rapid popularity in Europe but declined after the early 1820s due to issues with rough roads and early bans on its use in cities, which caused accidents. 

Evolution to a “bicycle”:

• The modern concept of a bicycle with pedals and cranks came about later, around the 1860s in Paris. 
• Pedals were attached to the front wheel’s axle, creating a new machine known as a velocipede. 
• Eventually, the safety bicycle with a chain-driven rear wheel, similar to modern bikes, was introduced. 

What is a vintage bike called?

The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle.