Leonardo da Vinci Bicycle

The Leonardo da Vinci Bicycle design has an interesting and controversial history. The design itself would have been incredibly groundbreaking for the time, no inventor/engineer during that era had even considered a personal vehicle – of any kind (well, maybe a horse). A bicycle design was not seen until the 1800’s – over 300 years after this drawing was completed!

It is widely accepted that the sketch was not drawn by da Vinci, very likely a pupil of his sketched it. This is a working model of based on that drawing. Da Vinci did draw a chain in one of his codices, using links very similar to a modern bike chain, which could have been used with it. In Pathfinders version they used an elastic band in place of the chain, since making a chain link so small would be very difficult.

While there are doubters that da Vinci was the original artistic instigator of this bicycle concept, it flows well from many of his other drawings from the same time period – including concepts like an aerial screw, self propelled car and ornithopter, to name a few.

Pathfinders is a Canadian company dedicated to creating compelling, innovative, wooden science kits that challenge children of all ages to explore the link between science, design, and technology in the world around us. They aim to help the student integrate knowledge gained from constructing the kits by providing links to educational resources to enhance their understanding of math and science as well as historical principles. Their chief educator, Derek Wulff, is a BC certified teacher who has been teaching grades K to 10 for the past 13 years. Derek designs all of the kits produced at Pathfinders for educational and recreational use. He spends time with kids in schools, making and using the kits to see how well they deliver curriculum for teachers, and to make sure they are engaging and appropriate for both fun play and educational aspects. They are an environmentally friendly company and use recyclable materials, natural, untreated wood, and local resources and production as much as possible. All of their kits are tested to make sure they are 100% kid and pet safe! They like to work with other local companies too. Their manufacturer in Taiwan is a local family-run factory, and most of the retail stores they sell to are small businesses and neighbourhood toy stores.

Recommended for ages 6+.