Countryfile Penny Farthing riding

[mcshroom]

I think the two main presenters like cycling. A couple weeks ago they had a go at tandem riding, and today they are going to have a go at riding penny-farthings. (BBC1 sometime in the next hour)

 

[Arch]

Well, that was short but sweet. I see they only tackled the 'easy' bit - not the mounting and dismounting!


Well done for even trying - I'd be too scared. I like to able to get a foot down....

 

[Maz]

Do penny farthings have a a sort of 'step' halfway up the main tube?
You use that as a 'step up' as you push up to get going?

 

[HLaB]

I think the two main presenters like cycling. A couple weeks ago they had a go at tandem riding, and today they are going to have a go at riding penny-farthings. (BBC1 sometime in the next hour)

I just caught the end of that, I'll have to see if I can get the full thing on iplayer; was that Hilldodger?

 

[HLaB]

Do penny farthings have a a sort of 'step' halfway up the main tube?
You use that as a 'step up' as you push up to get going?

According wiki they were an addition but I think all pf's I've seen have had one.

James Starley in Coventry added the tangent spokes[sup][4][/sup] and the mounting step to his famous bicycle named "Ariel." He is regarded as the father of the British cycling industry. Ball bearings, solid rubber tires and hollow-section steel frames became standard, reducing weight and making the ride much smoother.[sup][4][/sup]

With a bit of googling I found this cool site

 

[Arch]

I just caught the end of that, I'll have to see if I can get the full thing on iplayer; was that Hilldodger?

No, it wasn't - it was another bloke called Roger...