The term for a
bicycle during the 1860s. Bicycles before "The Boneshaker" were very
heavy and expensive, and by 1820 they had become "uncool" to ride around. The contraptions were practically
extinct for about 40 years, though people were constantly trying to
improve them. In 1861, a
Paris businessman took his bike to a
repair shop, and the repairman came up with the idea to install cranks on the front wheel with
pedals- people would push them in a circular motion instead of
straight, and this proved much easier for the rider. The new bicycles were called Boneshakers. These, too, eventually lost popularity due to expense and to the fact that they were uncomfortable to
ride. The Boneshaker would be improved upon for years until they reached the comfortability they have today.
"Boneshakers" is the name of a gay dance club in Athens, Georgia. I've frequented the club for years, not really knowing why old bicycles were hanging from the ceiling until I learned the origin of the term a while back.
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