Revolution

Drawing on a range of sources from cycling club journals to the writings of H.G. Wells, Revolution illuminates the major impact the bicycle had on the day-to-day lives of people across the social spectrum with millions experiencing a cheap and personalised means of transport for the first time. For women, it was known as the great emancipator from crib, kitchen and convention. Affordable to the working class, cycling dramatically increased the number of potential marriage partners and has a significant impact on widening Britain's gene pool. Revolution delves into the social history of cycling in 1890s Britain while exploring international parallels that existed in countries including the US, France and Australia.