The Penny Farthing

[Hilldodger]

Hi Simon . . little late answering but I have only just joined and have been reading the P/F items .... Legality: a spoon brake slows the machine down slightly actioned on the front wheel, so together with fixed drive it is street legal. I have owned and ridden an 1874 P/F with a rear brake and would have to agree wih you that it was more effective than the current front spoon brake.
Tyres are readily available both for the UK type machine and the new aluminium velocity rims.
Rule when approaching the descent of a hill is if you cannot see the bottom don't ride down . . get off and walk. Victorian times it was common practice to place your legs over the handlebars in case you came to grief and thenyou were able to jump clear . . OUCH !!
Modern day riders of these wonderful but dangerous machines when descending have been known to stand on the mounting peg whilst holding the handlebars, apply the spoon brake and at the same time place there shoe sole on the rear wheel . . don't know how long the sole lasted ?
Most parts are available from certain persons in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Cezch Rep, U.S.A. should you be inclined to make your own.
Cheers . . The Ordinary Man

Are you coming to the Pumper on Sunday? As one of the Sky Ride Event Managers I doubt I'll have time to ride my Penny much but I DO intend to get one lap in.

Although, after last year, I'm not riding over Belgrave Flyover again, going down the other side with lots of other people wandering all over the place wasn't much fun!

 

[The ORDINARY Man]

Are you coming to the Pumper on Sunday? As one of the Sky Ride Event Managers I doubt I'll have time to ride my Penny much but I DO intend to get one lap in.

Although, after last year, I'm not riding over Belgrave Flyover again, going down the other side with lots of other people wandering all over the place wasn't much fun!

JK and myself intend to ride the route and will call in at the Pumper . . should be on the way around 10:00 equipt with machine gun and loudspeaker . . ha ha !!
Have ridden the Mesicek over thirty times since March plus other ancient machines on other occasions as well.
C U Sunday

 

[The ORDINARY Man]

I'm still riding the High Wheel approaching Seventy Two years of age and hate to consider that one day i will not be able. My first ever ride was on a 48" machine in 1976.
The machine most ridden currently is my 50" Mesicek which I have used at least fifty times this year for rides of five to thirty miles, including two laps of the Leicester Sky Ride up and down the Belgrave Road Fly-Over.
The Ordinary (P/F) in my profile picture is a 1886 Parr 52" made in Leicester.
Keep the Big Wheel turning and might see you at Next years 'Pennies in the Park' Event ~ check out the website for details, which will include a practice at a Penny Stack. The Guinness World Record is currently One Hundred & Thirty One riders and P/F's free standing achieved in Leicester in 2003 . . about time we lengthen the line !!!!!!
Feel free to contact me anytime re: P/F ( Ordinary ) interest on :- ahcpick@aol.com
Enter " P/F Interest " as the subject on your E-mail please.

 

[ufkacbln]

The chain looks slack is missing !

 

[TheDoctor]

I do sometimes wonder how many of Hilldoggers gigs I would have to work at to get a Penny.
I then ponder how I would explain a rather tall N+1 in the BikeCave...