Today on Museum Bites we’re taking a look at one of my favorite contraptions, the bicycle. In this first of a three-part series, we’ll pedal through the bicycle’s early days, when it was a brakeless, pedal-less, teeth-rattling ride. The bicycle has no single inventor, instead, this delightful vehicle came about through a series of clever and sometimes dangerous innovations. Despite eye rolls and outright jeering, these mavericks persevered. Without their hard work and tenacity, we wouldn’t know the bliss of cruising along a scenic path, the agony of pumping up a steep hill, and the thrill of zooming all the way back down. So hop aboard, adjust your helmet, and let’s pedal back to 19th century Germany…