Originally Posted by
Cyclosaurus
The most important factor in the rather sudden change from the high-wheeler/penny farthing design to the safety bicycle was the advent of pneumatic tires. Before that, bicycles with equal sized wheels were known as "boneshakers" with good reason.
There was no cushiony material available at any time prior to pneumatic tires that could have been better than raw wood wheels? I thought the MesoAmerican Natives introduced the Eurpoeans to rubber.