safety bicycle
now historical
noun
A bicycle affording greater safety to the rider, with a lower front wheel and saddle than the earlier high-wheeler or ‘ordinary’.
- Essentially the same as the modern bicycle: although some early safety bicycles, introduced in 1876, had a geared front driving wheel much larger than the rear wheel, later versions had equal-sized wheels and were driven by the rear wheel..
Origin
Late 19th century; earliest use found in Bicycle Journal.