text: what is the name of the person who invented the bicycle?   the earliest bicycle was a wooden scooter-like contraption called a celerifere; it was invented about 1790 by comte mede de sivrac of france. in 1816, baron karl von drais de sauerbrun, of germany, invented a model with a steering bar attached to the front wheel, which he called a draisienne. it has two wheels (of the same size), and the rider sat between the two wheels, but there were no pedals; to move, you had to propel the bicycle forward using your feet (a bit like a scooter). he exhibited his bicycle in paris on april 6, 1818.        kirkpatrick macmillan (1812-1878), a blacksmith from dumfriesshire, scotland, invented the first bicycle with foot pedals in the 1830 to 1840's, but he never patented it and his idea did not catch on locally.       a french father-and-son team of carriage-makers, pierre and ernest michaux, invented an improved bicycle in the 1860's. many early bicycles (called velocipedes, meaning "fast foot," or, more descriptively, "bone shakers") had huge front wheels - it was thought that the bigger the wheel, the faster you could go. early tires were wooden - metal tires were an improvement, and solid rubber tires were added later. a chain with sprockets was added to the bicycle in the 1880's; this was called the "safety bicycle." air-filled tires were also added in the 1880's. the derailleur gear system was added in the 1970's.