science

History of cycling in New Zealand

History of cycling in New Zealand is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand History of cycling in New Zealand rather than just read about it. In short: The bicycle originally reached New Zealand in the 1860s in the form of the velocipede, also known as the 'boneshaker'. These bikes, as elsewhere, soon evolved into the elegant 'high wheelers', known today as penny-farthings.

Key takeaways

History of cycling in New Zealand belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect History of cycling in New Zealand to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of History of cycling in New Zealand from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

The bicycle originally reached New Zealand in the 1860s in the form of the velocipede, also known as the 'boneshaker'. These bikes, as elsewhere, soon evolved into the elegant 'high wheelers', known today as penny-farthings. Popular among wealthy young men, these offered adventure and speed ("Colonials like to get along fast", one newspaper wrote), but were also dangerous due to the lack of modern features like efficient brakes. Additionally the fact that they were useless on the rough and hilly roads of most of the country, ensured that they were seldom used for anything other than sport and recreation.

By the late 1880s, the safety bicycle was being produced: with a lower frame and pneumatic tyres, it was a popular model for women to ride, and consequently brought about a new form of freedom for them. Kate Sheppard was involved with the first cycle club in Christchurch in 1892: the Atalanta Cycle Club. The bicycle has therefore been credited as significant in bringing women's enfranchisement to New Zealand. It was the 'safety bicycle', with its chain, sprockets and similar sized wheels that catapulted the bicycle into the public arena. Sales boomed, prices dropped and, for half a century, the bicycle became a transport of the masses, at least in the somewhat more level and developed areas of the country. Cycle tracks were being built alongside some main roads in 1949 and 1950. However, in the 1950s and 60s, driven by rising affluence and government transport policies, New Zealanders turned away from most other transport methods to become one of the countries with the highest car ownership ratios in the world. This largely relegated cycling once again to recreational and sports use. The oil shocks of the 1970s triggered the first of several bicycle resurgences. New bicycles became popular: first, road racing bikes, then BMXs and eventually mountain bikes. By 1990, a survey showed cycling to be the second most popular participation sport in New Zealand. Since then, cycle sales have remained high, averaging over 150,000 per annum. From January 1994 the wearing of bicycle helmets in New Zealand became mandatory for all ages of people using a bicycle.

See also Bicycle helmets in New Zealand Cycling Action Network

References Some content copied with permission from RIDE - the story of cycling in New Zealand. Published by The Kennett Brothers, 2004, ISBN 0-9583490-7-X

External links RIDE - the story of cycling in New Zealand Research on New Zealand Cycling History

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with History of cycling in New Zealand

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what History of cycling in New Zealand claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to History of cycling in New Zealand before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about History of cycling in New Zealand ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of History of cycling in New Zealand

In research: History of cycling in New Zealand appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses History of cycling in New Zealand in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: History of cycling in New Zealand is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Cycling in New Zealand, History of cycling, History of transport in New Zealand, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for History of cycling in New Zealand outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study History of cycling in New Zealand in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what History of cycling in New Zealand means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain History of cycling in New Zealand out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is History of cycling in New Zealand in simple terms?

Why does History of cycling in New Zealand matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study History of cycling in New Zealand?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on History of cycling in New Zealand.