A closer look
Bicycle Soldiers of 1914 — Before tanks and drones, armies experimented with two-wheelers. In World War I, entire battalions pedaled through mud and shrapnel, carrying rifles strapped across handlebars. The Swiss, Swedish, and British armies used foldable frames for stealthy travel, and these humble contraptions inspired early concepts of mechanical infantry mobility. Modern e-bikes shadow that spirit: cheap, light, and nearly silent. When you pass a commuter weaving through traffic, remember that the technology once cruised battlefields long before bike lanes existed.
