A Grandmother's Accidental Pedal Car History

My son in law is a firefighter and I imagined my carefully planned gift arriving at his door to the delight of not only my grandchild, but to the whole family as well. My gift would arrive, a shining beacon in the bright birthday sunlight. I pictured the whole family standing around saying things like "What a great gift!" and "Grandma's awesome!"

For a handful of minutes though, time stood still. Ride on toy? Car for kids? What did I actually want!?!

Turns out, sometimes things are much simpler than they appear. I would come to learn that the modern day "Pedal Car" is just a spin-off of an old-timey invention called the Quadricycle...

Way back in the 1850s, when bicycles were in the process of being invented and perfected, the quadricycle came along in the wake of people falling over and hurting themselves on their poorly crafted bicycles. The somewhat slow generally sloth-like characteristics of the modern bicycle created a growing interest in these pedal-powered, 4 wheeled multi-seaters.

Over the years, the pedal car has endured various levels of popularity. The primary reason for their burgeoning popularity in the mid-1800s can be attributed to several things:

Their ability to seat multiple bodies (4 to 6 at a time!)

Their stability in comparison to the newly developed "Bicycle"

Their speed (believe it or not, they were MUCH faster than the bicyles of the era)

Their ease of use (you don't need a license to hop on one of these puppies and go for a spin!)

I went on to learn that some of the first experimental steam engines were tested in pedal cars *just* like the toy I was looking for. Henry Ford even called one of the first combustion cars a Motor Quadricycle (the term "car" or "automobile" quickly took over, however).

There are a couple different uses and categories in the world of the pedal car. To start, there's the oh-so-popular tourist trap known as the Rental. If you've ever been on vacation and you have kids, chances are you've been in one of these and paid an exorbitant to pedal around for an hour or two.

Maybe on that same vacation you saw a Pedal Taxi or some poor soul dragging tourists around in a little canopy-covered cart. If you have any amount of compassion in you, chances are you felt extremely bad for the poor people who are paid to cart bodies around in these things. At any rate, they seem to be a growing industry and are incredibly popular in places like Italy and Spain.

The "Touring" pedal car is designed for personal use and unlike the aforementioned pedal cars (which seat 2-6), this particular car seats only one to two. It is by design lighter and much easier to maneuver thank your standard pedal car, complete with gear selection and at times, independent pedaling.

If you want a 4 wheel version of a mountain bike (not really sure why you would), then you should look into getting a Mountain Quadricycle. Built to withstand those exciting plummets down the side of a mountain, you'll be able to deal with rough terrain and steep hills just like you would on a standard, single-seater mountain bike.

If you need some goods delivered or perhaps an inexpensive way to cart your tools around, the Industrial Pedal Car is the car for you. Complete with 2 seats and either a flatbed or some type of pickup box, this is meant to get from point A to point B, cheaply!

Last but not least, there's the Child's Pedal Car. Whether you're a grandma, the son of a firefighter or a long-distance relative looking for the perfect gift, you'll be able to track down tiny foot powered vehicles for your loved ones at a variety of online Pedal Car stores.

And if you're still wondering what a "Surrey" is, it's just a 4 wheel, 2 seated covered carriage. Also known as: A Pedal Car!!!! :)

Pedal Car

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If you're still wondering what a "Surrey" is, it's just a 4 wheel, 2 seated carriage. Also known as: A Pedal Car!!!! :)