WI: Leonardo da Vinci invents the bicycle?

Leonardo da Vinci is rather infamous for having conceived of various inventions before the capabilities to make them sprung up. Yet, one invention he could have likely created is a bicycle. It's disputed whether he sketched a bicycle or not, but it certainly is possible he could have, as he did draw several gear combinations.

So, WI he invents the bicycle and presents it to a noble he was in contact with, and what effects would the earlier invention of the bicycle have?
 
It's not really likely to happen : as simple a bicycle might seem, the bicycle chain and the crack system themselves ask for some technical pre-requesites, mostly industrial in nature.
That said, you could end with an earlier version of draisine
 
It's not really likely to happen : as simple a bicycle might seem, the bicycle chain and the crack system themselves ask for some technical pre-requesites, mostly industrial in nature.

Could you have a bicycle purely made up of gears in line with one another? It would probably lose efficiency, but is such a thing possible?
 
I'm not sure : wouldn't this contraption be really either too heavy or too fragile (depending which kind of gear is used) for a widespread use?
 
First thing to mention is that it's incredibly unlikely that the first bicycle in any TL will look like today's modern diamond-frame bicycle with chain, pneumatic tires, brakes, etc. More likely it will be one of those penny farthing style ones with the pedals connected directly to a large wheel with solid tires.

so the technical limitations aren't gears and chains but a lightweight enough spoked wheel to be easily turned by pedal power.
 
We've discussed a hypothetical Roman bicycle TL more than once on these boards and the consensus is that the Roman probably could have built them if they'd thought of the. I see no reason why Renaissance craftsmen couldn't built them either and I could certainly see Da Vinci thinking of the bicycle. They'd be toys for nobles and wealthy merchants, but they'd be around.
 
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