Last year, British cyclists covered a total of 3.25 billion miles (5.23 billion kilometers)—the highest figure in nearly 25 years. To celebrate the booming popularity of cycling, the Design Museum in London has launched a new exhibition titled “Cycle Revolution.” Rather than tracing the design history of bicycles since the 19th century, this exhibition explores today’s cycling culture.
The curators have selected four types of cyclists as the focus of the exhibition: professional riders, adventure seekers, urban cyclists, and cargo bikers, along with a section dedicated to the future of bicycle design. We’ve picked out four distinctive bicycles that played key roles in the exhibition. These bikes blend creativity and innovation and have become design classics in the world of cycling.
Raleigh Chopper
With its tall handlebars and padded seat, this Raleigh Chopper was designed to mimic the motorcycles in the film *Easy Rider*.
No other bike evokes as much nostalgia as the quirky Raleigh Chopper, one of the most popular children’s bikes in 1970s Britain. The initial idea for the Chopper came partly from a sketch by Alan Oakley, head of design at Raleigh, drawn on the back of an envelope during a flight from his home to the United States. Its high-rise, “ape hanger” handlebars and connected saddle and backrest were inspired by the American motorcycles ridden by Peter Fonda and Dennis Hopper in the 1969 film *Easy Rider*.
Despite doubts about its construction and practicality—rust-prone and difficult to ride uphill—the Chopper achieved remarkable success due to its larger rear wheel. It became an instant hit with British kids, making anyone who rode it look cool. By the end of the 1970s, Raleigh had sold over 1.5 million Choppers in the UK alone.
Lotus Type 108
In 1992, Chris Boardman rode a Lotus Type 108 bicycle to become the first Briton in over 70 years to win an Olympic gold medal in cycling.
On July 29, 1992, at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Chris Boardman accelerated to victory in the 4,000-meter individual pursuit, becoming the first British cyclist to win an Olympic gold medal in the event in over 70 years. His bike, the Lotus Type 108, had the sleek, mysterious look of a fighter jet.
The design of the Lotus Type 108 was created by self-taught engineer and cycling enthusiast Mike Burrows from Norfolk. Its most revolutionary feature was a smooth monocoque (or one-piece) black carbon fiber shell, which minimized air resistance. Burrows had a friend who worked at Lotus, the British sports car manufacturer based near Norfolk. This friend brought the prototype to the Lotus factory.
“It caused a sensation,” Burrows later recalled. “They tested it in their internal wind tunnel and shouted, ‘Guys, what is this thing?!’” Lotus decided to invest in the bike, and over the following months, they refined the design. It made its global debut at the Barcelona Olympics, where Boardman broke the world record twice in the early rounds and then overtook his opponent in the final lap to win gold. Boardman’s outstanding performance, combined with the bike’s futuristic design, earned it the nickname “Superbike.”
SplinterBike (Wooden Bicycle)
Although the bicycle was invented in the 19th century, its core design hasn’t changed as dramatically as one might expect over the past 150 years. “The fundamental structure of the bicycle hasn’t changed,” explains Donna Loveday, curator of the Cycling Revolution exhibition. “While the appearance remains similar, the technology and materials used today are vastly different.”
In an era dominated by steel and carbon fiber, wood has unexpectedly become a material of choice for many creative bicycle designers. The exhibition showcases fantastical constructions made from plywood, including ash and birch. The wooden bicycle draws inspiration from the Lotus Type 108 and was meticulously crafted by Norfolk craftsman Mike Thompson over 1,000 hours using rarely used woods, including naturally lubricating hardwood lignum vitae (which helps reduce friction between moving parts).
The wooden bike was inspired by a bet between Thompson and a friend, who challenged him to build a bicycle entirely out of wood (“no rivets or screws, just wood and glue”). This posed numerous challenges—for example, avoiding the use of chains. Thompson eventually devised a gear system to transfer power to the rear wheel. By 2011, the wooden bicycle was complete. That summer, Thompson’s amateur rider friend James Tully used it to set a new “100% wooden bicycle land speed record,” averaging 11.3 mph (18.2 km/h).
Brompton Prototype
Brompton is the UK’s largest bicycle manufacturer, producing over 45,000 hand-built bikes each year.
With growing populations in cities and satellite towns—London’s population is expected to reach nine million by 2020—alleviating pressure on public transport networks has become essential. One solution is to encourage cycling. In recent years, companies specializing in commuter bikes, such as Brompton, have achieved tremendous success, contributing to the rising popularity of cycling.
The inventor of the Brompton, Andrew Ritchie, created the company while living in an apartment overlooking the Brompton Oratory, a grand Catholic church in South Kensington, London. In 1975, he designed his first folding bike prototype in his flat. The following year, the earliest existing Brompton prototype was built there. Several features of the bike reflect Brompton’s signature design, including the rotating triangular frame that allows the rear wheel to fold beneath the main frame. Ritchie spent years seeking funding for his design before the bike began production in 1988 in a workshop under a railway bridge in west London.
Today, Brompton is the UK’s largest bicycle manufacturer, producing over 45,000 hand-built bikes annually and exporting to 44 countries worldwide. It’s estimated that there are over 80,000 Brompton bikes in London alone.