Bikes

Perhaps it’s one of the most popular pastimes on the planet. Pedaling provides people with personal freedom and even empowers us. Whether you are a recreational rider, a serious racer, or just trying to stay in shape, cycling is simply a spectacular sport.  Get pumped up as we get a grasp on bikes on this week’s episode of FYI!

Special Thanks to my awesome students: Vicente AKA (BornToIronMan), Edgar,  Cristina, and Joaquin! 

Transcript

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perhaps it's one of the most popular pastimes on the planet peddling provides people with personal freedom and even empowers us whether you're a recreational Rider a serious racer or just trying to stay in shape cycling is simply a spectacular sport[Applause] get pumped up as we get a grasp on bikes on this week's episode of f why ah welcome to for your info English you got it you got it[Applause][Music][Applause][Music][Applause] laughs[Applause] hello hello hello and welcome to another exciting edition of FYI for your English and this is a topic based show where we learn about a wide range of topics and this week we're going to learn about one of the most popular pastimes on the planet as I said in the intro one of the most popular pastimes I think that's an easy one for you Spanish speakers then I said peddling provides people right to move the pedals I said it provides people with personal freedom and even empowers us yeah like superheroes foreign[Music] then I said whether you're a recreational Rider that means you ride for fun and I think I'm in that category I'll start this off too by giving you a little disclaimer I'm no expert on bikes but I've got to give a huge round of applause and a special thanks to all the students who helped me out in this episode and that's born to Iron Man Who is an Iron Man finisher he can run he can bike he can swim and he kicks butt at English so great job born to Iron Man thank you thank you thank you for all the ideas that you gave me and also thanks to Edgar Christina and Joaquin and they are some of my patrons that we're gonna hear from today who also enjoy cycling but let's finish up the intro and then we'll get moving into all the exciting stuff about bikes the second category was serious Racers so I guess I would put our buddy born to Iron Man in that category and then there's those of us who are just trying to stay in shape so I would put myself in the recreational Rider just trying to stay in shape and we didn't even mention people who use it for transport especially in cities that are prepared for it such as Amsterdam where the bike is King the pecking order there is bikes that's the top of the totem pole then pedestrians that's pathones and then cars which is interesting because in most cities it's the other way around but I think no matter how you like to cycle there's one thing we can all agree on it's a spectacular sport it's watched by millions and we're going to talk about the most important races obviously France Italy Spain they all come to mind and then you heard the little bell I love that little classic bell ring ring and then I don't know if you caught it but I gave you guys a little pun I was trying to be punny and I said get pumped as we get a grasp on bikes so there are two puns in there to get pumped is motivate right to get motivated to get excited but also a pump is una bomba you use a pump to blow up your tires or to inflate your tires and we're going to take a look at all the different parts of the bike as well so we've got a lot of stuff to cover and the other pun was as we get a grasp on bikes and a grasp is like a grip right to get a grasp on something is agarado to hold on to it but it also means to understand it to gain a better understanding of it and even though bikes have had their ups and downs and pun intended there they've had their ups and downs we can't deny it there's a bike craze that continues to this day and a craze I didn't say the word crazy I said the word craze which is UNA tindencia let me give you a couple statistics just to kick it off there are twice as many bicycles in the world as cars the world manufactures about a hundred million bikes each year so there's no doubt they are huge their popularity has never been so big especially these days when everybody's figuring out how they can you know be more eco-friendly and somebody who's no stranger to bikes in fact he's been riding you can say riding or cycling and we're going to take a look at all the different kinds of bikes as well but somebody who is no stranger to and this structure means they're very familiar with it somebody who is no stranger to riding bikes is my good buddy Joaquin he's been sitting in the saddle elaciento that's the same seat we use when we talk about a horse foreign years and he loves riding bikes let's hear from Joaquin hi Alberto this is Joaquin first of all sorry for my poor English it's about time for one FYI based on cycling you ask us why we are into cycling as for me I can't answer your question because despite the fact that I've been doing cycling for 40 years I don't have a replay honestly maybe it's a sort of Freedom the pleasure to go almost wherever you want to go getting together with your friends watching beautiful landscapes and especially getting healthy and in shape no matter for me it is winter or summer but I don't ride when it's raining or overcast I used to belong to a club but currently I only go with my best friends because it's less risky and we take just four or five Roots where there is barely traffic to wrap up there are two kinds of cyclists the ones who have already fallen and the ones who are going to fall from their bikes it's something set in stone if everyone understands me I'll believe in miracles best wishes awesome job Joaquin you sounded great and guys I can confirm Joaquin is in great shape great job and your English is in great shape to Joaquin just be careful you wanted to say the word reply and you said replay just be careful it's a common mistake over there but what I love is he loves the freedom that it gives us and I mentioned that in the intro and we're going to talk about the freedom that it gave women in suffrage this is when women were fighting for the right to vote so bikes were even instrumental in giving women more rights more freedom and not just women everybody he also said he likes to get together with friends sure you can go down to the local pub and down some beers but then you're gonna get a beer belly like Homer Simpson or yours truly un servidor that's me so that's a great activity you can do with friends you're getting some vitamin D from the Sun you're in nature and you can always have a beer after and I'll tell you something you don't feel as bad about it and Joaquin again you're in great shape and he's gotten picky well he's been doing it for 40 years and he goes I don't ride in the rain and I don't ride when it's overcast and overcast means cloudy and then he used uh he gave us some words to the wise Unos consejos some advice and he said you are bound to fall so sooner or later you're gonna fall off the bike we'll hear from some more students in a little bit but first let's rewind and take a look at the history behind bikes[Music] what if I told you that Leonardo da Vinci and one of his pupils invented the first bike well bike it depends how you define the term bike but we're going to take a look at that in the bonus part just a quick reminder guys there's a bonus episode every week that's available exclusively for my patrons the students in my community and they're all different levels that you can join us you can just get the bonus episode and some PDF documents or you can be in weekly and monthly classes with me and if you're in our highest level if you're like Edgar who we're gonna hear from in a little bit and you're an Interstellar student you get a monthly private class with me where we can gauge your progress if you guys want more information on how you can join our awesome Community you can go over to patreon.com Alberto Alonso check it out for as little as three Euros plus tax you can get the bonus episodes plus so much more and if you're at our highest level you'll get a weekly review class with me that's a group class and you'll get a monthly private class with me so that's five classes a month with me take a look at it because a lot of people ask me if they can have classes with me and the answer is yes but once I have too many students in the interstellar level I'm gonna have to put a cap on it because there's only one of me until we can clone me well there's only one of me to go around so if you want more information go to patreon.com Alberto Alonso and all the people we're gonna hear from today are all patrons in fact I'm going to take this moment to send a shout out to all my patrons especially my super duper students Javier Roberto David Jose Maria Mila Alex and Patricio and don't forget about my into her Stellar students these are the ones who have a private class with me every month and you guys know you're special you're awesome and we are making progress we're all making progress at every level but with my Interstellar students I hold you guys accountable so a shout out to my Interstellar students Carmen Lina Issa bako and Edgar and while we're on it why don't we hear from Edgar Edgar has been a student of mine for over two years since the beginning since this project began Edgar keep up the great work and let's hear why Edgar loves riding bikes hello Alberto this is Edgar one of your patreon subscribers from the very beginning thanks for inviting me to share why I love biking with my fellow students indeed it's something that I would recommend to anyone as it's a great outdoor activity where you can breathe fresh air while doing some exercise we are lucky because as you know in every major European city there are great roads and parks to ride safely in nature what I love the most about biking is to choose a playlist from my phone and start writing that helps me disconnect from my daily routine and free my mind perfect to blow off some steam as you say back in 2002 a couple of friends and I decided to go to go over the Camino de Santiago following the North Route We Roll 700 kilometers in five days from Santander to San Diego in Corona it was challenging but totally worth it we rolled between five to seven hours daily and the views were amazing I still remember those small villages next to the Sea the food was also incredible having a father after a hard day of writing was the perfect way to finish our journey but that was when I was in Tip-Top shape nowadays I ride with my nine-year-old daughter we bought a tandem a couple of years ago and we share amazing moments together as I said it's the best recommendation I can give to all of you so that's it see you in our next review class bye-bye that is wonderful Edgar you sounded great and you know I thought about getting a tandem bike to ride with Lara because you're getting exercise you're bonding which is bonding is you're spending time together you're forging memories I don't want to be poetic but it's true while you get exercise well you get some fresh air I mean however you slice it or dice it it's a great idea so kudos to Edgar for his English and for inspiring his daughter to have healthy habits I can't wait to meet her in person maybe at the book fair the upcoming book fair remember guys I go to the Madrid book fair every year because I have four books and if you you want to check out my books one of them is called I'll go in order because if I if I don't go in order I forget them the first one is called English everywhere the second one is a best seller it's called this book is the milk the third one is called this book is the milk 2 and the latest one is English on the go up in English you can buy them wherever fine books are sold so as with any invention there are always predecessors right let's take a look at some of the predecessors to the bike this is from 1817. I'm going to give you a little timeline just so you get an idea and this was called the drazine or the velocipede and this was the first practical bicycle it was a German civil servant you say fun fionario somebody who works for the government named Carl Von dreiss that's why they called it the dry scene the velocipede now it looked a little bit like a bike and the Germans oh the Germans had another name for it the lauf machine which translates into to the running machine what but I thought you said it was a bike Alberto well yeah I said it was a predecessor to the bike there were no pedals it looked like a bicycle for all intents and purposes but there were no pedals so you're asking yourself how did the Riders Propel themselves forward well they used their feet like those kids bikes that we see now that don't have pedals it reminds me a little bit of Flintstones meet The Flintstones have a yabba-dabba doo time you know the way they move their car on foot then we had the high wheeler and this one sounds exactly like what it is you've seen this one I gotta tell you something as somebody who used to be I'm not anymore but I used to be afraid of heights I can't imagine myself wanting to ride that one when I was a kid the high wheeler another word another way they call these is the penny farthers and it's interesting interesting I didn't know this but it's because of two British coins the wheels looked like a penny and a farther but I think it's a a much easier name is the high wheeler or the high wheel bicycle and that was popular in the 1870s so we've jumped from 1819 with the lauf machine and now we're in the 1870s and the term bicycle wasn't introduced until the 1860s so somewhere there in between and it was coined in France in order to describe a new kind of two-wheeler but again if you've seen pictures of these high wheelers they don't look very safe if you fall off you know there's a long way down you know you can break some bones get some scrapes and bruises let's put it this way the high wheeler was not practical yet let's listen to a little Newsroom I love these old school news reels and they explain a little bit about the early history of Bikes let's see how much you guys understand either way in the bonus episode we're going to go through all the vocabulary this is a video from 1937. you're gonna hear the audio and it's called the birth of the bike I hope you enjoy it as much as I enjoyed listening to it foreign but with bicycles the way has been rather tortured as these pictures of the old hobby horse for the use of ladies one and the other models shown by courtesy of the science museum will suggest there were no traffic signals in those rollicking days Next Step was the machine of 1839 The Handlebar was carried in an armed fork and the wooden Wheels were propelled by pedals and cranks fitted to one of the axles in 1860 came the velocipede and this one if you please is a light racer made of wood with a metal crankshaft its front driving and rear steering and it weighs only 63 pounds seven years later saw the bone shaker the break is operated by rotating The Handlebar and that our pedals fit into the front wheel Daredevils flung themselves headlongs to the saddle and dashed off at almost eight miles an hour this is the extraordinary of 1878 with ball bearings fitted to Hubs and pedals rubber studded the machine is front wheel driven and safer to ride the front wheel has a diameter of 52 inches and the rear wheel 22 inches and with a later ordinary life became just one mad world the first rare chain-driven safety made its appearance in 1879 the saddle is now much further back and there are thrilling footrests for coasting my dear this tricycle was born in the same year it had two small wheels in front and a large rear wheel it was steered by hand grips the tricycle was rare driven and the front wheels could be adjusted to enable the machine to pass through narrow passages two years later came the dicycle with two large road wheels on an axle which supported the saddle an entire frame it was steered by means of spade grip handles which also contained a break a roller prevented the rider from falling off backwards in 1885 we saw this safety with solid rubber tires and a saddle like a shoulder of mutton then the safety of 1890 with diamond frame curved forks and a plunger brake to the front wheel so we've progressed from the old hobby horsey period to the present shorts and sports stage from the tandemon Bloomers I bet he took behind her back the Rascal to the Carefree any old thing of modern youth Cheerio old fruits I love that old school sound let's take a look at some breakthroughs Unos Avantes and I'm not just going to talk about breakthroughs as far as a bike is concerned but remember the roads there had to be breakthroughs in Paving and all that jazz so another guy who's really important is a guy named Philip Moritz Fisher he used the drazine the first one that we talked about to get to school from the age of nine so he was already drawing inspiration from the predecessor and he invented a huge invention and that's the pedal Crank that was in 1853 and this is when petals became a part of a bike now the sad part about this is he never made his invention public so people found out years later but without this breakthrough maybe we wouldn't have the bikes we have today either way if you're in schweinvert shrine third I don't know if I'm pronouncing it correctly Germany you can take a look at this bike from 1853 it's called the threat you couldn't have named it something a little bit shorter and talking about roads yeah well how are you gonna ride bikes that don't have rubber tires what they don't have rubber tires yeah we didn't get to that part yet you got to remember there were so many different breakthroughs to get to the bike we have today so roads needed to be strong they they needed to be paved and at the end of the 19th century in the United States roads were not equipped for bicycles at all so then there was a boom and they started to pave roads there was a huge boom in road construction in the United States so this was very very important and this also added to making this sport so popular or this past time so popular just remember they didn't have mountain bikes yet we've got to go step by step here the pedals then we've got the right roads we need and as I said the tires were not rubber they didn't have air in them like they do today some of the original tires were made out of wood or iron just to give you an idea how uncomfortable it was to ride these bikes some of the early bikes were called bone shakers so thank God for a guy named John Boyd Dunlop does that name ring a bell it is synonymous with rubber and this guy created the first practical pneumatic tire in 1887 for his son's bicycle by this time too cyclists were starting to get representation all over the United States they had the league of American wheelmen and these were Advocates these were people who got together and they tried to promote better roads safety and things like that and speaking of of safety the first practical safe bike is called the Rover but they also call it the safety cycle remember before that you had that Penny farther that you were you know three kilometers above sea level also these safety Cycles were a lot more affordable so this opened up bikes to other classes of people and some would say this was the most important change in the history of the bicycle because now they became safe and affordable and that led to the bike boom of the 1890s there were more than 500 organizations there were businesses it was a thriving industry but as I said before like everything it had its ups and downs and there was a decline as cycling became more and more popular in Europe over the first half of the 20th century it started to drop off in popularity dramatically in the United States and this was between 1900 and 1910 and can you figure out why well automobiles became the preferred means of transportation and in the 1920s bicycles were seen as nothing more than children's toys in the 1940s most bicycles that were made were made for kids but then thanks to many other breakthroughs such as gears marches mountain bikes where now you could go off-road they started to Boom again and they've never been bigger than they are now before we get going I want to take a look at some quotes these were from American civil rights leaders these women were behind the suffrage movement and they talked about the importance of the bicycle as far as freedom and rights was concerned Susan B Anthony wrote in 1896 I think the bicycle has done more to emancipate women than any one thing in the world I Rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a bike her friend and fellow suffragette Elizabeth Katie Stanton she wrote an entire article for the American Wheelman magazine the association I told you about before and she praised bicycles and she encouraged the building of good roads so all these women were also instrumental in making the bike popular but at the same time it was giving women an opportunity to leave the house and go for a bike ride and we were living in very very different times it represented freedom and it still does and Elizabeth Katie Stanton said the bicycle will inspire women with more courage self-respect and self-reliance and make the Next Generation more vigorous of mind and body for feeble mothers do not produce great Statesmen scientists and Scholars so she said it was important to the survival of humanity and the family and I know that feeling of freedom I remember when I rediscovered bikes I was in Amsterdam and a friend of mine said you want to go to the museum you want to go to the park I said yeah let's go to all these places he goes okay let's get on the bikes and I hadn't ridden a bike in decades and you know we have an expression it's like riding a bike which means it's something that's automatic that you never forget and I'll tell you something when I got on that bike and I was riding around vondel Park in Amsterdam I felt the wind whipping through my hair I felt that freedom that freedom that only a bike ride can provide and will wrap up this episode with a quote from Charles M Schultz the creator of peanuts he said life is like a 10-speed bicycle most of us have gears we never use I hope you guys enjoyed this episode and I hope you'll join us in the bonus episode of today's F why foreign[Applause][Music]