Penny-Farthings vs 29ers

I've just been watching the BBC4 programme on the history of the bike and saw a Penny-Farthing in use. I really want to try one – I assume they are rare so there are few places to have a go? Any ideas?

Before you scoff at the idea, if you take the whole 29er fad to it's conclusion then they're actually cooler than a 29-inch wheeled bike!

Penny Farthings are cool – but there was a good reason for the invention of the 'safety' and its rapid overwhelming adoption. I don't see the comparison with 29ers?

Penny-Farthing off road? Interesting for a new niche.

Penny-Farthing off road? Interesting for a new niche.

That's 69er is it not? 😉

I agree with Sam – the driver for the huge wheels is gearing, not particularly any of the benefits we chase with a safety bicycle by going for bigger wheels.

But they are very cool indeed. 🙂

Square Wheels in Strathpeffer usually has 2 or 3 ordinaries (Penny Farthings) sitting outside. Offer cake and biscuits and you may get a go on one 🙂

The roads at the times of the ordinary were the sort of thing we would buy a mountainbike or hybrid for now, so they were obviously capable enough. There are plenty of pictures of ordinary riders doing technical stuff, but there was a higher level of gymnastic skill required to ride an ordinary in difficult conditions.

To get a high gear required a big wheel, so long legs were an advantage. Gearing was of course the big restriction, and the safety cycle was introduced before gears became commonly available on ordinaries.

Nowadays you can get a Schlumpf gear hub for unicycles and this would have been ideal for the ordinary because a much smaller wheel could have been used.

One of my current projects is this:

The idea is to have it as safe to ride as a conventional bike. At the moment it is somewhat tricky to steer at low speeds. Further development will happen once my garage reconstruction is completed. (I'll build a new frame and forks instead of adapting them). Once it's working I may splash out on a Schlumpf hub.

The intention is to take it around the 'Puffer course, but it's a long way from that at the moment. 🙂

I was hoping to have it ready for the SSUK but my garage disintegration stuffed that.

I've just been watching the BBC4 programme on the history of the bike and saw a Penny-Farthing in use. I really want to try one – I assume they are rare so there are few places to have a go? Any ideas?

I pass a guy in woking riding one… see him around quite bit..

i fancy one as well..

there is a guy doing a round the world tour on a rohloff equipped one!

company doe one for about 500 was in cycling plus last month

Penny-Farthing off road? Interesting for a new niche.

Not so new, I saw this posted on the unicycle forum a while ago.

Unicycle.com have modern penny farthings on their site, brakes and pneumatic tyres rather than the old solid tyres.

Nowadays you can get a Schlumpf gear hub for unicycles and this would have been ideal for the ordinary because a much smaller wheel could have been used.

I was looking into getting one of those hubs when I had my 29er Muni, but as it would have cost me £850 I decided against it.

http://www.pennyfarthingworldtour.com/

inc pulse jet powered!

rootes1 – Member
…inc pulse jet powered!

That would be more fun than an eBike 🙂

It would bring real meaning to the old term "scorcher".

Doh! didn't see the link above 🙂

if you take the whole 29er fad to it's conclusion then they're actually cooler than a 29-inch wheeled bike!

How cool must this be then?

RealMan – Member
How cool must this be then?

I'll have one 🙂

Ok, comparison to 29ers was daft and attention seeking – too much coffee late at night, long day etc.

However, I love these enlarged 69ers. More pics please!

Like the hip flask holder on the one parked in the snow. Is that for when the St Bernard dog can't keep up?