Page "Bicycle" Paragraph 12

The dwarf ordinary addressed some of these faults by reducing the front wheel diameter and setting the seat further back.

This necessitated the addition of gearing, effected in a variety of ways, to efficiently use the power available.

Having to both pedal and steer via the front wheel remained a problem.

J. K. Starley ( nephew of James Starley ), J. H. Lawson, and Shergold solved this problem by introducing the chain drive ( originated by the unsuccessful " bicyclette " of Englishman Henry Lawson ), connecting the frame-mounted cranks to the rear wheel.

These models were known as dwarf safeties, or safety bicycles, for their lower seat height and better weight distribution ( although without pneumatic tires the ride of the smaller-wheeled bicycle would be much rougher than that of the larger-wheeled variety ).

Starley's 1885 Rover, manufactured in Coventry, England, is usually described as the first recognizably modern bicycle.

Soon, the seat tube was added, creating the double-triangle diamond frame of the modern bike.