distraction, bicycles

I easily get distracted during a day at work. I am currently reading Andrew Feenberg's Questioning technology. Feenberg's project is to develop a theory of technology based on a revised constructivist approach. Technological change cannot be explained from a deterministic perspective with a belief in a uniliniar development of technology and in determining technical imperatives on social development. Rather there are various technological potentials and the development of technology must be comprehended in a social and political context. So in order to explain a more constructivist approach, Feenberg refers to Pinch and Bijker (biker-Bijker!) example of the early evolution of the bicycle. The bicycle was originally comprehended as two different devices, a sportsman's racer and a means of transportation (I guess it still is). These ideas of the bicyle had different designs. Corresponding to the first definition, the bicycle had these typical hight front wheels. The second type of bicycle are the ones we recognise today with equal-sized wheels. But these two similar but still different technologies co-existed in the field for years, and the big-wheel bicycle was not a stage in the other's development. The equal-wheeler represented the alternative with the best fit between design and the interest of various social groups that further influenced the desing process. I must admit I have believed that the big-wheeler was kind of stage one in the development of bicycles. I googled, and found Bicycle Museum of America. There you are: beautiful examples of early bicycles. Until appr. 1900, there were examples of both types. I would love to pick a couple of bikes from their collection though...