'Horseless carriages' were both fascinating and repellent
to different people, whrther 'progressive' or 'traditional.' Airplanes, too. When they came around people were fascinated. My Dad swore that he saw the around-the-world flight of the Graf Zeppelin, which DID pass over Columbus.

Bicycles themselves were pretty new, and often referred to as 'machines.' Women who rode them were considered daring and feminist in their behavior (see: Sherlock Holmes, 'The Case of the Solitary Cyclist').