What's the earliest date in which the bicycle could have been invented? The chain and gears shold not need very advanced metallurgy, I think they would have been possible already during the Renaissance, or am I wrong? The tyres look much more difficult however: how feasible could a bycicle with wheels similar to those of a light chariot be?
Finally what could the possible uses be, apart from an extravaganza for bored nobles? Maybe as couriers in lands where horses or forage are at a premium? Or to have "flying companies" of infantry, similar to the mounted infantry of the late xixth century? Now that I think of it, the lack of good roads could be an insurmountable obstacles, as I would think that cross country bikes would be much more difficult to build earlier than OTL.
Has anyone ideas on this?
Finally what could the possible uses be, apart from an extravaganza for bored nobles? Maybe as couriers in lands where horses or forage are at a premium? Or to have "flying companies" of infantry, similar to the mounted infantry of the late xixth century? Now that I think of it, the lack of good roads could be an insurmountable obstacles, as I would think that cross country bikes would be much more difficult to build earlier than OTL.
Has anyone ideas on this?