Before carbon frames, suspension, or even pedals, there was a simple wooden machine that changed transportation forever. In 1817, a German inventor named Karl von Drais introduced the world to the Laufmaschine — a two-wheeled “running machine” powered entirely by human feet.

It didn’t have a chain. It didn’t have brakes. And it certainly didn’t look like the bicycles we ride today.

But this humble wooden contraption introduced one revolutionary idea: two wheels in a straight line, balanced by a rider. That concept would become the foundation of every bicycle that followed.

In this episode of The Lost Gears Podcast, we step back to the early 1800s to explore the world that gave birth to the first bicycle. We’ll look at the social and economic pressures that inspired its creation, the strange reactions it received from the public, and how this simple invention sparked a transportation revolution.

From muddy roads and failing horse populations to aristocrats racing through city parks on wooden machines, the story of the Laufmaschine is equal parts innovation, chaos, and curiosity.

It may not have had pedals, but it pushed the bicycle — and the world — into motion.

Welcome to The Lost Gears Podcast, where we explore the stories that shaped cycling, one gear at a time.