They say you never forget how to ride a bicycle – or your first bicycle – but in a new exhibit in Santa Rosa, the Sonoma County Museum is displaying a dazzling assortment of classic two-wheelers you’d have to be at least century old to remember.
Titled “Customized: the Art and History of the Bicycle,” the delightfully retro spokes-and-handlebars exhibition offers a tour of the last 100 years in the life of the bicycle.
Tracing its development from the early days when a single wheel stood taller than a man in a top hat, the show is a little like that famous painting of Neanderthal man evolving into the kind of modern human being who might actually be able to ride a bicycle.
As one might expect from a 193-year-old technological innovation, the bicycle has changed spectacularly over the years, beginning in the late 19th century, when the Baron Karl von Drais of Germany unveiled an invention he called the Laufmaschine, or the “dandy horse,” in 1818.
Who knew that that cumbersome contraption would one day be refined and replicated as the beloved Schwinn, the Huffy, the Raleigh, and the Trek, brand names that inspire the same kind of loyalty some people feel for baseball teams.
If the humble bicycle seems an unlikely subject for a major exhibition, especially in a culture so obsessed with motorized vehicles, know this: There are currently more than 1 billion bicycles on the planet Earth, twice the number of automobiles.
In the Sonoma County Museum’s new exhibit (running through February 2012), a number of bikes are on display, along with stories and historical facts, describing all aspects of bicycle culture, from bike riding to bike racing and beyond. The show includes video displays, including insightful interviews cycling enthusiasts from around Sonoma County.
The Sonoma County Museum, 425 7th Street in Santa Rosa, is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Adults $5, students and seniors $2, children under 12 and museum members are free.
See more about cycling in Sonoma County at inside-sonoma.com/tweed-bike-ride.
