Penny Farthing Bicycles
In recent years there have been two predominant trends in cycling: Fixed gear bicycles seeing a wave of popularity in Europe and North America thanks to their simplicity and old 3-speeds restored as the ride of choice for those into “chap” retro culture. It didn’t take too long for the two trends to combine, restoring interest in the penny farthing, the oldest, most simplistic bicycle ever built.
The penny farthing gets its name from the large front wheel and small rear wheel which riders likened to the largest and smallest coins in circulation at the time. The front wheel can be as large as fifty-two inches. For comparison, the average road cycle wheel is between twenty-six and twenty-eight inches (660-712mm) while the largest mountain bikes top out at twenty-nine inches (737mm.) The rear wheel is only sixteen inches, equal to that of a toddler’s first bicycle. These bikes were popular in the late nineteenth century but were replaced in the early 1900s by the diamond-framed “safety” bicycles we ride today.
The crank arms of a penny farthing are connected directly to the wheel so when the wheel turns, the cranks turn. Like a fixed gear cycle, stopping involves holding the cranks in place forcing the tires to skid. Learning to ride one of these bikes takes most people about fifteen minutes. Most riders feel that it’s easer to switch between a regular bike and a penny farthing than going from a regular bike and a fixed gear cycle because they instinctively know the pedals are fixed by the change in riding position.
Many custom builders have started offering new penny farthing bikes while niche makers now make tires and other equipment to get older bikes onto the road. Some shops have also started renting these bikes for use in historic areas, giving tours a vintage feel.
We’d like to thank Miss Sue Lang on this great contribution to our website.