A racing bicycle is a type of lightweight bike intended for use in competitions. Of course, a non-racing type bike -- such as a mountain bike or BMX -- may be used for races. Conversely, a racing-type bike may be used for touring or non-competitive purposes. The history of bicycle racing is as old as the history of bicycles themselves, dating back to the 19th-century "velocipede" proto-bicycles.
Early History
In the late 19th century, "ordinary" bicycles with a huge front wheel and smaller rear wheel were used for racing. These bikes had tires made of hard rubber, and a generally inefficient brake. Bicycle racing was a popular craze, although it was very dangerous and was considered a sport for men only. When cyclists crashed, it was common for the rider to be thrown over the front of the bicycle's high wheel, resulting in serious injuries. There were no bicycle gears at this time, so bikes were built with larger and larger front wheels to make them faster.
Early 20th Century
By the end of the 19th century, bicycles were being made in the "safety" design, featuring equally-sized front and rear wheels. Pneumatic tires were first used in a bicycle race in 1889. Racing this kind of bicycle around banked wooden tracks -- known as a velodrome -- became a popular spectator sport in the U.S. and Europe. In the pre-war years of the 20th century, racing bike frames were made of lightweight tubing. The wheel rims were typically made of wood until 1937, when aluminium rims were commonly used for road racing. Racing bicycles now featured multiple gears, although the use of derailleurs was not popular in the pre-war era.
Post-War Years
In the post-war era, the use of a rear derailleur became standard in racing bicycles. Many of the smaller bicycle companies that had competed with each other in the earlier part of the 20th century went out of business by the mid-1950s. The design of professional racing bicycles continued to be refined throughout the 1960s and 1970s, with improvements made to derailleur design and the overall weight of the bicycle frame. Jacque Anquetil was an influential professional racer who won the Tour de France five times between 1957 and 1964.
Late 20th Century
The craze for mountain bikes began in the 1980s, and these bikes are sometimes used in races today. However, the later part of the 20th century has also seen great improvements in lightweight racing bike design. The change from steel bicycle frames to lighter frames of aluminum or cro-moly -- also known as "chromoly" -- brought the weight of an adult bicycle frame down from around 30 lbs. to well under 10 lbs. Specific racing bikes have been developed for events such as triathlons.
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