{"id":108553,"date":"2026-07-09T14:50:34","date_gmt":"2026-07-09T13:50:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fondazionepirelli.org\/?p=108553"},"modified":"2026-07-09T16:13:59","modified_gmt":"2026-07-09T15:13:59","slug":"once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-velocipede","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fondazionepirelli.org\/en\/activities\/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-velocipede\/","title":{"rendered":"Once upon a time\u2026 there was a velocipede"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>In <strong>1890<\/strong>, the first bicycle tyres began to appear at the Pirelli factory in Via Ponte Seveso, Milan, alongside technical and consumer items in rubber. Production began on a completely experimental basis, but it gave the market a product that was almost impossible to puncture even though it was also very heavy to push. It was not long, however, before a more agile version appeared, for in 1893 the company patented the \u201c<strong>Tipo Milano\u201d<\/strong>, the first tyre to be fitted with a tubular cord, which significantly reduced weight and improved manoeuvrability.<\/p>\n<p>Named in honour of the capital of Lombardy, the Tipo Milano transformed bicycles into a promising and innovative mode of transportation. At a time when cars were scarce, two wheels<br \/>\nperfectly responded to citizens\u2019 desire for speed, efficiency, and independence. This transition from velocipedes, which were elegant yet cumbersome for long rides, to bicycles,<br \/>\nwhich were more suitable for rough, unpaved roads, ensured the immense success of Pirelli tyres. And indeed, just one year after it hit the market, the \u201cTipo Milano\u201d had taken in <strong>825,000 lire<\/strong>, accounting for 12% of the company\u2019s total turnover.<\/p><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazionepirelli.org\/en\/exhibition\/pirelli-a-passion-on-two-wheels\/\">Back to main page<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 1890, the first bicycle tyres began to appear at the Pirelli factory in Via Ponte Seveso, Milan, alongside technical and consumer items in rubber. Production began on a completely experimental basis, but it gave the market a product that was almost impossible to puncture even though it was also very heavy to push. It [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":108559,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,82],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108553","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-activities","category-exhibitions"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.0 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Once upon a time\u2026 there was a velocipede - Fondazione Pirelli<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.fondazionepirelli.org\/en\/activities\/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-velocipede\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Once upon a time\u2026 there was a velocipede - Fondazione Pirelli\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In 1890, the first bicycle tyres began to appear at the Pirelli factory in Via Ponte Seveso, Milan, alongside technical and consumer items in rubber. Production began on a completely experimental basis, but it gave the market a product that was almost impossible to puncture even though it was also very heavy to push. 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