Modern penny farthing in Edinburgh ?

[goo_mason]

Any other Edinburgh residents / commuters seen this ?

I was on a course today at IBM in St Andrew Square, and was staring out of the window during a break when I saw a young guy pedalling around St Andrew Square towards Queen Street on a modern-looking Penny Farthing (it had a tubular-looking frame and proper pneumatic tyres on it). Never seen anything like it !!

Googled 'modern penny farthing' tonight and there it was:

a Qu-Ax Penny Farthing. Looks like they do other daft bikes too - the 'Monster Bike' looks like it might be a handful to park, and the big-wheel Unicycle would be interesting !!

 

[Night Train]

I like the Monster bike. I can imagine one on MTB tread tyres, full suspension, with big chrome tube pannier racks front and rear, a row of massive spotlights along the handle bars and a 400lb capacity hand winch on the front forks.
It'll give the 4x4 drivers something to think about as to how silly they look.

 

[Maz]

I saw a junior version of one of those at CycleMagic here in Leicester. Very nice looking bike it is.

 

[John the Monkey]

I've seen one of these, on my Sunday ride last week - guy was just stood by the side of the road with it.

 

[Joe24]

Ammaco do it. When i was heloing out at Get Cycling Show, they had 3. Good fun to ride and see people ride them. Amazing how much controlle you can have over them. Never got the track stand on it, but Mickle showed off and made it look easy
Not sure i could do any huge miles on one. Cant get proper extension and going round tight courners sometimes means the tyre scrapes on your leg or you have to take your leg off and go one footed, which isnt hard because its a fixed.
I reckon with some really thin tyres, lighter saddle and some really low drop or bullhorn bars it could be really fast and cool

 

[kushtrim]

I just don't understand how you would stop at the traffic lights with a bike like that, you'd have to be constantly hoping on and off, right????

 

[mickle]

Joe, the ones we have are smaller than the one in Goo's image, 700c rather than 36" (I think..) Pchyco Madge have both sorts, I had a go on Roger's big one at a shared gig in Woolwich last month. So to speak.

Track standing an Ordinary/Penny Farthing is easy. You just need a few months practice!

 

[Joe24]

Joe, the ones we have are smaller than the one in Goo's image, 700c rather than 36" (I think..) Pchyco Madge have both sorts, I had a go on Roger's big one at a shared gig in Woolwich last month. So to speak.

Track standing an Ordinary/Penny Farthing is easy. You just need a few months practice!

Ahhh thats where i went wrong, i only had two days

 

[angusde]

A bit risky riding a bike that high up when they start powering up the overhead wires for the trams......

Angus

 

[Arch]

I just don't understand how you would stop at the traffic lights with a bike like that, you'd have to be constantly hoping on and off, right????

on the one pictured, which is miniature repro, you could probably get a foot down. On a real one, yes, you'd have to hop off. Or work it so that you leaned against and hung on to, the traffic light... A good rider can hop off and back on again pretty quickly.

Or do as someone I know did and claim that since your bike was built before traffic lights were invented you can jump them. Not something I approve of, but it was funny watching the police car follow him for a bit...

 

[kyuss]

Yes, I saw the guy riding that last week on the canal between Ashley Terrace and Viewforth. Looked like fun. Like Arch says you'd get a foot down on it fairly easily even if you had to lean it to the side a bit. They are not that tall. Nowhere near as big as a proper Penny.

 

[TenorClef]

Has any one seen any reviews for the Ammaco Penny Farthing Bicycle? I did like the look of the Quax Penny Farthing but having read on one web site the specs I see my leg is to short to reach the pedals. (I'm about a 27-28"). Presumably the Ammaco would be a better spec for the shorter legged guy. If any one has one, can you get a full leg stretch when riding?

 

[DTD]

Last year went and photographed the Great Knutsford penny farthing race (only happens every 20 years) there was a young lad riding a small modern penny farthing:

http://daviddunnico.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/bike-collage.jpg


short video about the race is here:

http://www.tatton.tv/2009/09/the-knutsford-great-race-2010/

 

[BentMikey]

I just don't understand how you would stop at the traffic lights with a bike like that, you'd have to be constantly hoping on and off, right????

Apparently the classy way is to nonchalantly place your foot on the cab next to you. Only to be done whilst wearing tweeds and a pith helmet, mind you.

 

[Hilldodger]

Apparently the classy way is to nonchalantly place your foot on the cab next to you. Only to be done whilst wearing tweeds and a pith helmet, mind you.

Not that easy when the cab begins to move.

THE classy way is to just track stand. You need to be brave and have had a lot of practice, though.