Born in New York sometime in 1812, Issac R. Johnson was not the first person to invent the bicycle frame, but he was the first to truly innovate on the design.
Johnson’s revolutionary changes to the initial bicycle design would stand the test of time, so what did he change?
Storing a bicycle became much easier with the frame changes Johnson made. His bicycle designs were slimmer and far more compact than previous bicycles making them easy to fold or take apart and store away.
This design was perfect for traveling on vacation or for bike owners with little extra room to store things.
Johnson received his patent at a difficult time in American history for Black entrepreneurs. It was a grueling challenge for African American inventors to patent their inventions, especially in the late 1800s.
The fact that Johnson was able to receive a patent for his invention on October 10th, 1899 is remarkable given the circumstances.
This groundbreaking invention by Issac R. Johnson is yet another timeless example of the genius that exists within our Black community. His story reminds us to find ways to cultivate our own genius and find impactful ways to give back to our community.