The Penny Farthing

Page may contain affiliate links. Please see terms for details.
Owch said:
Some years ago (late 80s?) there was a 'high bicycle race' as part of a cycling festival in Market Harborough - terrifying! If memory serves me right a certain Mr Obree was the winner.

We had one in Leicester in 03
penniesrgb.jpg
 

tdr1nka

Taking the biscuit
Pennies from heaven.;)
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
I presume if you were riding in traffic, you could put a foot down on the roof of a convenient car?
 

simon_brooke

New Member
Location
Auchencairn
Seriously, presumably you'd technically need to stick a brake on the back wheel (even though it would do very little good) in order to be street legal? Obviously a brake on the front wheel would be pretty lethal... Do you ever have police questioning the legality of it?

Where do you get tyres? Is there a cottage industry of penny-farthing-tyre-makers out there somewhere?

What are the parameters for the safe descent of hills - i.e. what's the longest, steepest downhill you'd consider tackling on the machine?

Are all the parts necessarily custom made, or are you able to use some conventional bike parts (e.g. rear wheel, headset?)

What's the technique for an emergency dismount, and how easy is it to do in practice?
 

Maizie

Veteran
Location
NE Hertfordshire
CharlieB said:
Does anyone know whether/where you can rent one?
Buy one?

http://www.theoldbicycleshowroom.co.uk/ are out of stock at the moment but you can look on their sold page to see what they have had!

You can get some antique replicas here... http://www.hiwheel.com/

You can buy some 'modern equivalents' but they don't look so much fun to me (and nowhere near tall enough...)
http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/112693.html
http://www.cycleking.co.uk/product_details.php?product_id=353&k=13

I don't think I'd commute to work on (real, not modern equivalent) one, but I'd like to have a try just to see how quickly I fall off.http://www.theoldbicycleshowroom.co.uk/c1884-52-penny-farthing-bicycle-891-p.asp
 
Location
Edinburgh
simon_brooke said:
Seriously, presumably you'd technically need to stick a brake on the back wheel (even though it would do very little good) in order to be street legal? Obviously a brake on the front wheel would be pretty lethal... Do you ever have police questioning the legality of it?

The one I saw on the Embra to StAndrews ride last year had a brake on the front wheel, although it didn't look particularly effective. As they are fixed, the legs count as the second brake.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
simon_brooke said:
Seriously, presumably you'd technically need to stick a brake on the back wheel (even though it would do very little good) in order to be street legal? Obviously a brake on the front wheel would be pretty lethal...

I think some do have a spoon brake on the front wheel, although it's actually pretty ineffective (which is perhaps a good thing...)

What's the technique for an emergency dismount, and how easy is it to do in practice?

Everyone I've seen do it, makes it look very easy, just a leg over and jump off to one side, or backwards. I've never tried it myself, I'm no good at anything involving jumping or not being able to get my feet down to the floor.

There was an invention, back when the Ordinary was the thing, of a dismountable handlebar, which was supposed to detach in the event of a sudden stop, allowing the rider to spring off forwards, without getting tangled in the bars. I'm not sure if it ever actually made it into use....

The other technique for being stationary is to hang onto a bit of street signage.

There's some penny farthing, and other tallbike action seen here.... (soundtrack was Willie Nelson, On the Road again...)


View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6uWoogHFglI&feature=channel_page
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
It's definitely something I'd like to try at some point. I'm sure practice (and a few falls!) would make perfect, just like most things in life.
 

exchangeandmart

New Member
My friend did a sponsored cycle around her village on a penny farthing, I'm still in awe of anyone who can actually master it. I can see it being quite dangerous if you lost control of it, surely people tend to ride them for special occasions, not as an everyday bike?
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
exchangeandmart said:
My friend did a sponsored cycle around her village on a penny farthing, I'm still in awe of anyone who can actually master it. I can see it being quite dangerous if you lost control of it, surely people tend to ride them for special occasions, not as an everyday bike?

Anything is dangerous, if you lose control of it. An eggwhisk, for example...

I gather (again, I've never done it, but know plenty who have) that the hardest bit is getting on and off, and that's just a knack to master. Once you are going, they are very stable. The worst peril is something jamming the front wheel, or losing your pedals on a downhill and having no way of stopping - just the normal issues with fixed wheel.

I knew (know? is he still with us? Lionel?) an old chap who used to bring his to roadshows for us, and if it was within London would ride to the show, or occasionally, take it on the tube. Once you have the knack, it's just a case of thinking ahead more. Remember, for a while, that was all there was and people used them just as we use safeties today...

Roger just makes it look easy...
 
Top Bottom