The questions of where the bicycle came from and who invented it have been debated since the late nineteenth century. Even nowadays, bicycle historians are debating the early days of two wheeled wooden vehicles. The bicycle was definitely not invented in the Netherlands. So how did the Netherlands become the leading cycling country? With the bicycle’s prominent role in mobility, the Netherlands is an exception among industrialized countries, which many attribute to the obvious relationship between the country’s utility cycling, flat landscape, and dense population. Even so, the Netherlands’ leadership is remarkable, especially when reflecting on the early history of the bicycle as a sports vehicle, first in France, then further improved in Great Britain and the United States. This article analyzes the process of innovation and knowledge circulation that resulted in the mass production of the Dutch bicycle. It unravels the role of Dutch industry in the transformation of the bicycle from a sports vehicle of the elite to a utilitarian good for all classes. In the late nineteenth century the Dutch bicycle industry depended heavily on external knowledge and technology, mainly acquired from Great Britain. Thereafter, a characteristic Dutch product slowly came about, even though the industry continued looking to Great Britain for inspiration. The article illustrates how innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises played an important role in the adoption of the bicycle in the Netherlands. It analyzes the roles of intermediary organizations in the production and circulation of knowledge for innovation, and reveals how industries turned the bicycle into an icon of Dutch mobility culture.