Indoor cycling studios are popping up all over the place, but stationary bikes aren’t a new phenomenon. People started tinkering with ways to use their bikes indoors at the end of the 1800s, and the sport slowly gained in popularity—spiking in the 1980s and again more recently. Check out some of the old-timey models below (there’s a full album here):
Yes, these are bikes on rollers (as if you didn’t already feel like a hamster on a wheel) from 1901.
This classy dame (do we spot lipstick and pearls?) is giving athleisure a run for its money.
Welcome to the ’70s! Wood paneling, a Tiffany lamp, and color-coordinated riding gear.
(h/t Timeline)
