Why did we wait so long for the bicycle? (2019)

The bicycle wasn't invented until the late 1800s despite being mechanically simple, due to a combination of factors including technological limitations (lack of advanced metalworking, wire-spoked wheels, vulcanized rubber, and precision manufacturing for chains and bearings), the need for extensive design iteration to create a safe and functional model, poor road conditions unsuitable for early bicycles, competition from horses as an established transportation method, and insufficient economic demand from a middle class. An 1816 food shortage caused by volcanic eruption may have spurred invention by making horses scarcer and more expensive to maintain.