Penny farthing

[saab2000]

Anyone here ever ride, or better yet own, a Penny Farthing?

I want one!!!! :banana:

[Louis]

It would be interesting to see a crit using those contraptions...

[saab2000]

They have a brake and if you could mount one on the rear I don't know if there is a rule preventing them from being ridden today.

None on eBay today.

[dbrk]

My local guy, Craig Smith, has at least two, both modern but nicely equipped and adapted, fully useful and, yes, they are a blast to ride. I think at least one of these is for sale. Mendon Cyclesmith: 585-624-2120.

I've not been to any of the Veteran Cycle Club meetings in the US but I am still a member and enjoy their News and Views. Check them out for their fine offerings and interest in cycling history. Very cool. http://www.v-cc.org.uk/

dbrk

[RABikes2]

Well, you could always visit The Penny Farthing Inn http://pennyfarthinginn.net. It was bought and renovated by a couple I knew back in the 80's. St. Augustine is a great place to visit, too. Looks like they have a Penny Farthing on the front porch just for you. ;)
RA

[KJMUNC]

Was visiting my wife's extended family in Montrose, PA and stumbled across this thing hanging on the wall of the Montrose Historical Society (along with an amazing assortment of NE Pennsylvania history).

The wheels were made of banded steel and the accompanying press clipping noted that quite a few folks injured themselves trying to learn how to ride it down Main St.

[Michael Maddox]

I have ridden one. If you've experienced the joys of your first fixie (sans brakes) on a hilly ride, then you have SOME idea of what it's like. Most notably, the bike is TALL...spectacularly tall. Getting up and getting starting requires a bit of a launch to the saddle, which will take you some time if it hasn't been properly demonstrated. Even if it HAS, be ready for some minor trauma. Once on, riding is a blast, though it feels more like a kids tricycle than a bike at low speeds. Your weight is far up above the front wheel, so the seat-of-the-pants feeling is VERY different from a safety bike (read: modern bike). You do NOT want to go over the front wheel, so avoid curbs, dogs, small children, and parade floats like the plague. Plan where you're going to ride and keep your eyes open. Panic stops just don't happen on a penny farthing. Stopping, again, is problematic, though not quite so much as mounting. The trick is to dismount with some speed, which stabilizes the bike and allows you to bail out to the side or to the mounting peg. Do NOT try to stop and lean against a wall. You will die.

Other than that, it's fun. Try one!

I'll look around for the photos. :)

[benb]

A full face motorcycle helmet & armored leathers sounds like proper attire!

[Ken Robb]

DBRK's pal Craig offered one for me to try buy I was chicken---it's a loooooong way up to that saddle and a looooooooong way back to earth. :)

[gt6267a]

is there a min. height / inseam? these bikes seem hard on the shorties. i am 5'7" and it looks too big for me to ride.

[J.Greene]

A really good pal of mine makes them here in Orlando FL. She is part of Victory Bicycles. They make an exact(or as close as they come) replica of the Victor. All of the parts are made by her and her partners. It is amazing to see these come together. I'm rolling my change now to buy an all nickel model. They are fun to ride, and the view is great. Check out victorybicycles.com.

JG

[J.Greene]

is there a min. height / inseam? these bikes seem hard on the shorties. i am 5'7" and it looks too big for me to ride.

The wheels are sized to fit your inseam. You'd ride a 48 I think.

JG

[nick0137]

There is a British (had to be didn't it?) guy traversing the globe on one - http://www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com/

[Louis]

There is a British (had to be didn't it?) guy traversing the globe on one - http://www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com/

What a wild and crazy guy.

That's even crazier than trying to do it on a fixed gear. And it looks like his knees are paying the price...

[Bradford]

I haven't ridden one, but Mark Twain did and wrote about it. It is a story worth reading.

http://www.online-literature.com/twain/1323/

[Polyglot]

I have owned a few and have ridden over 3000 miles on them. They are not nearly as daunting to ride as you may think. To most reasonably coordinated souls, they will be able to master the basics in 10 minutes.

The biggest drawback is that when you do have something go wrong, it goes grossly wrong. When I had a mechanical, brought on by my own short-sightedness, I ended up with both elbows broken and in casts, as well as 4 months in a back brace due to a fractured vertebra. On my 54" wheel, the saddle is at 4' 10" height. My trajectory upon being catapulted from the saddle took me up to about 7' before coming crashing down.

I would still be riding mine now, had I not promised my wife that I would never ride one again. She convinced me to make the promise when I was still convalescing with the back brace and both arms in full casts. Needless to say I was at her mercy, besides which she was pregnant at the time and looking after me and my other then-infant daughter.

Check out this video too:

http://one.revver.com/watch/31941

[Bart001]

Really, don't do this (http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoID=1984797208)

[Steelhead]

I saw a couple of guys riding high wheelers once at a convenience store - they were tricked out with Look pedals and made from modern day materials. The riders had on lycra shorts/jerseys and roadie helmets - pretty cool to watch.

[Brian Smith]

Curtis Rodman of Via Bicycle says that the hardest part about riding an ordinary is convincing the owner to "let" you.
I agree.
You can ride one in a stationary position on rollers at the Pedalling Museum of History in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Recommended!

[Xyzzy]

How much does a modern version cost?

[J.Greene]

How much does a modern version cost?

A really nice one like a victory is about 4k.

JG