In 1879 a Coventry manufacturer, Harry John Lawson, patented a bicycle with a chain transmission and smaller wheels. He named it the "bicyclette." The model was not successful, but it paved the way for a new generation of bicycle design. The reduced wheel diameter increased safety without sacrificing speed. Inventors from different countries patented several devices to increase comfort and safety. In 1888, John Boyd Dunlop invented the pneumatic tyre while three years later Édouard Michelin invented the tyre casing, later perfected by Pirelli.

In 1884 the Turin maker Costantino Vianzone presented the "bicicletto" - a bicycle with a wooden frame and rope wheels. One year later, Edoardo Bianchi began industrial-scale production of bicycles. The Italian term "bicicletta" came into common use in the late 1880s.