What exactly constitutes a men's bike?
Probably the most noticeable indicator that a bike is for men can be seen by looking at the horizontal crossbar between the saddle and the handle bars. On a woman's bike this bar would curve downwards, making it easier for them to get on and off. The first men's bike was developed in 1817 by Karl Drais and was made up of two wheels which were connected by a wooden crossbar. Pedals and many other things that now differentiate men's bikes from women's did not exist back then and you even had to push off with your feet to start. Because of this, even during the developmental stages of men’s bikes the crossbar had become known as the main indicator of a bike’s category. In fact the men bike was the first to be developed at all, with the women’s bike coming a little later into fruition; its curved crossbar allowing women to get onto the bike more comfortably whilst wearing long skirts. Since then, men’s bikes have continued to develop and now there are many different types of bikes out there. Because of this, the men’s bike can not really be seen as a style or type in its own right, but more of a category just like women’s, children’s and unisex bikes.
