Apparently the combustion engine was invented before the bicycle as bikes need ball bearings to function smoothly, which also requires advanced machinery.

https://www.ft.com/content/9084f6ad-6146-4b38-8e7c-faf850f90...

Indeed! Interesting. According to wikipedia it may have been a feedback loop primarily in the direction of the car.

> The bicycle's invention has had an enormous effect on society, both in terms of culture and of advancing modern industrial methods. Several components that eventually played a key role in the development of the automobile were initially invented for use in the bicycle, including ball bearings, pneumatic tires, chain-driven sprockets and tension-spoked wheels.

I can't find a citation for this, but a favorite quote of mine from Twain(?) is:

"The bicycle is unique in that it's engine is also it's cargo."

Until the invention of the pogo stick. Which the internet informs me was only a few years later...

I always liked Steve Jobs's description of the Mac as "a bicycle for the mind." It's not like he was unaware of the Ferrari or whatever, he chose to use a human-powered vehicle for his analogy.