Why do alt-history people never focus on infrastructure or innovation? What would have happened had bikes been invented centuries before cars instead of around the same time? How different would the built environment and our culture have looked?
Personally, I think centuries of more established bike use would have created an infrastructure that limits how well cars take off. Cities would have entrenched themselves in a cheap, dense manner of transit.
I could be wrong, lots of dense cities were wrecked by the car when it was commercialized. I’d love to hear any thoughts :)
We literally destroyed perfectly working pedestrian neighbourhoods to make them better for cars. I can not see how having bicycles earlier would have changed anything. We had trains well before cars and at a massive scale and they did not stop cars either.
Bikes need a level of precision manufacturing that means cars and airplanes are just around the corner no matter what alternative history you come up with. If you sent a modern machinist back to 10BC they could maybe make a bike by hand (if they are lucky enough to get a rich sponsor - making a Gingery style lathe by hand is something a modern machinist would be able to figure out it takes a lot of time an materials that are were not cheap), but the cost would be such that the only people who could afford it already have slaves to carry them everywhere. There might be demand for a handful as a novelty for their young sons (sexist world, girls need not apply) but it will soon disappear as those slaves are cheaper than the bike. (it takes a lot of slaves to mine and refine the ore needed to make the bike)
In 10BC, it would likely be all wood - frame, wheels, crankset, everything - and be driven by a notched leather belt on toothed wooden sprockets.
Have you ever seen wooden/ bamboo bikes? Renovo was one manufacturer. And currently, (https://www.lightwoodenbicycles.com/) TimberWolf Cycles.
There are others: https://www.treehugger.com/awesome-bikes-made-of-wood-4869156
I saw one in a museum, from the 1880s, made of hickory. It reportedly weighed 18 pounds.
One more requirement for cars in addition to the precision manufacturing is a mobile source of energy like the ICE.
Now I’m wondering if an alternative history with industries revolution powered just by water would be possible (once there is steam engine/turbine, internal combustion engine/turbine is just a matter of time).
Other than the mobile need that same source of energy is needed to turn ore into metal. Refining ore as they did in BC days used a lot of energy - mines were located near forests (ore was more common then the forests and you needed a lot more wood than ore!). Modern refining uses a lot less energy on a per output basis. (It uses a lot more energy now, but produces orders of magnitude more output)
This is essentially what I was wondering about – was it possible to evolve metallurgy with a different principal energy source and charcoal or coal used “only” for redox reactions?
Thinking about it, it would be necessary to discover electric power before industrial revolution in a geography with a product of precipitation and elevation drop like e.g. Norway or Costa Rica have (and this would have to be “normal” geography, not exceptional).
This is great - I kinda want to build one for hauling groceries now. There are sidewalks all the way to the big grocery store here but they’re so messed up that those collapsible shopping carts with their little wheels are more trouble than they’re worth. I’ve thought about getting/building a cargo bike but I don’t like my odds on that road, though it’d be useful elsewhere. Mostly we settle for just limiting it to what we can carry or driving once in a while. Might be a fun project though, I’ll have to look up modern designs.
I guess on modern paved side-walks these Chinese wheelbarrows don’t offer that much of an advantage, but I can easily see how great they would be on a typical well walked natural footpath.
Definitely agreed it’d work well on footpaths. I think given what frost heaves and the city budget have done to local sidewalks, it might still be useful (I’m not sure they count as modern or well-paved). If I can find some more square tubing, and some mesh or perforated metal for the guard around the wheel, I think it could be a fun bit of welding practice. It’s too bad the larger bike wheel sizes seem to be very expensive.
Something that blew my mind is that for a while bike were the fastest means of transportation !
@BastingChemina Biking is still faster than driving for many short trips, since you avoid congestion, routes can be more direct and you can park closer to your destination. Under one mile it is probably quicker to bike than drive. Under two miles if you live where cars clog the streets.
@lobsterofrevenge @BastingChemina under one mile wouldn’t you just walk?
@stark @BastingChemina depends on physical ability and how much you might need to carry home from the store. One mile bike ride takes me a few minutes—say 10 minutes including locking up, but one mile walking takes me about 20 minutes at least. That said I usually walk the half mile to the store if I’m just getting a few things. Less trouble than getting the bike out.
Bikes suck without rubber tires.
