The Hobby Horse shows many features of a current bicycle, although many of them function differently. The bike is powered by the riders feet pushing on the ground. The wheel spokes are in compression rather than tension, and the bearings are plane "parallel" bearings rather than ball or roller bearings.

Baron Karl von Drais of Sauerbrun, Germany, was the first manufacturer and promoter of these devices. A lighter version was later fabricated by Denis Johnson in England.

From: Adams, "Antique Bicycles," TAB Books (1981)

Davis and Rogers of Troy, New York, were the first American manufacturers (1819). Adams suggests that the absence of makers marks on most surviving examples indicates that they were made as one-off or in small runs.