This two-wheeler is considered the first real bicycle. The inventor/constructor/manufacturer was Carl Friedrich Ludwig Christian Baron Drais von Sauerbronn (1785-1851), a German government-employed forester. Originally, von Drais invented quadricycles and tricycles for passenger transport, and finally arrived at this two-wheeler. In 1816, von Drais finished it. Brake, saddle and steerable front wheel were already present, propulsion was only possible by sitting down and walking. The bicycle is made of wood; metalworking was not yet possible in the early 19th century.

The patent applied for by von Drais was not entirely watertight; others could construct his invention with impunity. Velorama owns a dozen balance bikes inspired by von Drais' construction. He himself called his vehicle a Laufmachine, the name Draisine arose later.