How large is a bicycle?

Almost immediately after Pierre Lallement developed the forerunner of the modern pedal-driven velocipede in 1864, people began to use the bicycle for delivery purposes. David Herlihy's recent book on the early history of the bicycle contains several references to bicycle messengers working during the late 19th century, including a description of couriers employed by the Paris stock exchange in the 1870's. During the bicycle boom of the 1890's in the United States, Western Union employed a number of bicycle messengers in New York City and other large population centers. In a curious foreshadowing of contemporary Western messenger culture, these couriers generally rode bicycles equipped with a single fixed gear.