What were the first bicycles called?

Originating in France in the late 1700s, the earliest form of the bicycle was shown in the Palais Royal Gardens of Paris. Seeing an opportunity for improvement and refinement of the early machine, a man by the name of Baron Karl Freiherr von Drais (29 April 1785 – 10 December 1851), of Sauerbrun added some significant features.

Baron von Drais added a front-wheel capable of being steered, a padded saddle, and an armrest in front of the body. Baron von Drais then took his idea to Paris where it was patented and given the name "velocipede," ("running machine"), which stuck until 1869 when the term "bicycle" first made an appearance.