(Photograph) - FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: “The Hobby” or “Dandy Horse” was the forerunner of the bicycle and was invented by Baron von Drais in France in 1817; Lady’s boneshaker bicycle, 1870 invented by Samuel Webb Thomas; an Ordinary bicycle, “The Windsor”, c.1878. Made by W Willis of Eton in Berkshire (also known as the Penny-farthing); the Humber pattern safety bicycle, 1888, was a “dwarf roadster”, with a framing patented in 1884 by Thomas Humber; and the Roulette Sociable from 1899 where two riders could sit side-by-side.

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Southern Railway delivery bicycle, c.1923-1947; a lightweight British Tandem bicycle built to special order by Rensch - it proved both an economic and reliable form of transport; a 1990s metal-frame mountain bike, now a popular choice; a replica of the LotusSport bicycle, 1992, which won the Gold Medal in the 4km pursuit event at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics; BMX bikes have proved a boon for stunt cyclists all over the world