For some reason, those old timey Victorian bicycles with the huge front wheel came up in a recent conversation. I’ve always wondered who the heck ever thought those things were a good idea in the first place. That made me want to find out.
So I started reading up on these transportational death traps. I learned quite a bit along the way. For example, they are called penny-farthings because in Britain at the time, the penny was much larger than the farthing, so when you saw these bicycles from the side, they looked like those two coins sitting beside each other. They were also called Ordinaries.
For some reason, I always thought that the primary danger in riding these treacherous transports would be falling over sideways. I shudder to think about it. That’s a long way down. But in actual fact, the main problem with them is that it was extremely easy to fly over the handlebars and land headfirst. Not only could this happen when you crashed into something, but also if you applied the brakes too quickly or if you went down too steep a slope.
To avoid such tragedies, many versions of these bikes were created. Some had no brakes at all. (What could possibly go wrong?) Many others had handlebars that actually wrapped behind your legs so that if you were to fly forward, you at least had the potential of landing feet first. And if you weren’t lucky enough to have those new-fangled handlebars, riders would frequently prop their legs on top of the handlebars whenever they went downhill to achieve the same result. (Oh, those audacious Victorians!) You can see a modern YouTube video of someone doing just that here.
Penny-farthings reached the height of their popularity in the 1870’s and 1880’s. They were one of the fastest modes of local transport, because the wheels were so large that they traveled a long distance for every rotation of the pedals. And oddly enough, those wheels absorbed a large amount of the shock, even though the earliest versions had wheels made of just iron or steel. Hard rubber tires became standard later on, and they made the ride even smoother.
Toward the end of their reign, some versions had the small wheel in the front, but that put you in danger of falling off backward when ascending a hill. One version, called the American Star Bicycle, came up with a very unique promotional strategy. To demonstrate their balance, a bicyclist rode down the US Capitol steps.
Another version that made a brief appearance at this time was one called a Velocipede Manuped, pictured below. Now, that one I wouldn’t mind owning. I think it would be fun. So if you happen to have one gathering dust in the back of your garage, let me know.
Despite the increased risk to body and soul, penny-farthings required minimal maintenance. Since you were, essentially, pedaling on the hub itself, there was no risk of chains disconnecting. And, of course, solid tires never went flat.
But the cons eventually outweighed the pros. With the invention of the chain drive, the bicycles in common use today came along. They were originally marketed as “safety bicycles” because they are so much safer than penny-farthings, and could obtain similar speeds with smaller wheels. Also, their pneumatic wheels made for a much more comfortable experience.
But penny-farthings still have their fans. As a matter of fact, there are actually teams who meet to play penny-farthing polo. It’s a lot cheaper than maintaining a horse!
And then there’s this guy, who made a very cool looking hubless electric penny farthing! Ooh! Ooh! I don’t want one!
But by far the most fascinating thing I learned about penny farthings… will have to wait for a subsequent post. (Sorry.) But be sure and stay tuned!
Special thanks to my friend Mor, who wandered with me down the side alley that led me to penny-farthings in the first place. We certainly get sidetracked, don’t we? Isn’t it great?
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