Charles Meinert Collection on Cycling in 19th Century Rochester

In the last decades of the 19th century, Rochester, New York was a bicycling center. The first bicycles appeared in Rochester in 1869; these early iron tired velocipedes failed to catch on with the general public but did succeed in introducing the concept of bicycling to people in Rochester and around the nation. The introduction of "ordinaries," high-wheeled bicycles, in the 1880s drew the first substantial bicycling audience. These bicycles were fast but challenging to ride and attracted an athletic following that led to the establishment of local cycling clubs and participation in cycling competitions. Cycling races were held on local tracks, such as the Rochester Driving Park, and rapidly turned into a spectator sport. It was the coming of the "safety bicycle," with two equal size, pneumatic tires, that brought cycling to the masses. 700 safety bicycles were sold in Rochester in 1889, and the city had 5000 cyclists by 1893 and 40,000 by 1897. Cycling became more than a sport; it was a mode of transportation and form of popular recreation.

Rochester also became a center for bicycle manufacture and retail. Bicycle building was a growth industry in the 1890s, and Rochester's history of precision manufacturing and machine building positioned it well for making cycles. Rochester also gained notice for its extensive system of sidepaths, or dedicated cycle paths that ran alongside main roads. The city and surrounding county developed the largest system of sidepaths in the nation beginning in 1895 and reaching 200 miles in length by 1901. Individual Rochester cyclists also gained national notice, particularly the internationally renowned bicycle racer Elsa Von Blumen. Von Blumen began her career riding ordinaries in the 1880s, but maintained a successful career into the 20th century.