Penny Farthing
#1
Doomsled
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Penny Farthing
Is it possible to buy a Penny Farthing? Are there custom builders who build them?
#2
my nice bike is at home
Yes! They make "new" ones still, Most are smaller sizes, The huge wheeled ones are also seen around a bit. Vintage ones must change hands as the original drivers are force by their ostopaths I am sure I saw a web site giving th e location which I thought was weird like Queens NY or sumpthin'
It is just a matter of time before each and every young wipper snapper in your neighborhoode is running you down on sunday morning...
It is just a matter of time before each and every young wipper snapper in your neighborhoode is running you down on sunday morning...
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https://www.victorybicycles.com/
https://hiwheel.com/
https://koolstop.com/mesicek/index.html
https://www.wuk.at/hochrad/index_eng..../index_eng.php
All of those places make and sell penny farthings/ordinaries/high-wheelers or whatever else they may be called. They ain't cheap. There are 2 guys who ride the Midnight Ridazz group ride in LA who do it on high wheelers.
https://hiwheel.com/
https://koolstop.com/mesicek/index.html
https://www.wuk.at/hochrad/index_eng..../index_eng.php
All of those places make and sell penny farthings/ordinaries/high-wheelers or whatever else they may be called. They ain't cheap. There are 2 guys who ride the Midnight Ridazz group ride in LA who do it on high wheelers.
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Cool. Question: How do you ride one? What do you do if you want to stop? How do you get off without falling off? These bikes look cool. And I would like to ride one just to see what they're like.
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try
www.tallbike.com
Very cool, 52" wheel it appears, remember for inches of gear multiply by pi. (sorry did not bother locating it in keycaps)
www.tallbike.com
Very cool, 52" wheel it appears, remember for inches of gear multiply by pi. (sorry did not bother locating it in keycaps)
#6
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The first couple of times, you will awkwardly scramble on and off the machine. Then, you will hurt yourself. Badly.
After a couple of good hurts, you'll figure out why the modern "safety bike" design is so popular. OR, you'll sufficiently damage your brain enough to enjoy the thing.
Voice of experience.
After a couple of good hurts, you'll figure out why the modern "safety bike" design is so popular. OR, you'll sufficiently damage your brain enough to enjoy the thing.
Voice of experience.
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Originally Posted by sivat
https://www.victorybicycles.com/
https://hiwheel.com/
https://koolstop.com/mesicek/index.html
https://www.wuk.at/hochrad/index_eng..../index_eng.php
All of those places make and sell penny farthings/ordinaries/high-wheelers or whatever else they may be called. They ain't cheap. There are 2 guys who ride the Midnight Ridazz group ride in LA who do it on high wheelers.
https://hiwheel.com/
https://koolstop.com/mesicek/index.html
https://www.wuk.at/hochrad/index_eng..../index_eng.php
All of those places make and sell penny farthings/ordinaries/high-wheelers or whatever else they may be called. They ain't cheap. There are 2 guys who ride the Midnight Ridazz group ride in LA who do it on high wheelers.
As far as riding these bikes, they are far easier to ride than you might think. There is a mounting peg on the side of the spine. You simply hold the handlebars, with one foot on the peg and then push off and step up onto the saddle and pedal away. The size of the wheel gives you enough momentum to make it virtually impossible to fall over. Dismounting is equally easy to learn, you take your peg-side leg off the pedal and reach back for the peg and then step down. If the bike is properly designed the peg will be placed at teh exact same height as the pedal, so no stretch or bend of the leg is needed to immediately find it with your foot.
What is however very dangerous is taking a "header" where you get thrown over the handlebars. This will invariably leave you with major and lasting injuries. I took just such a header and ended up with multiple fractures, resulting in a full back brace and both arms in full-length casts. The cause was not due to a riding error or mechanical failure, but rather a bone-headed repair on my part. I would still be riding the bike today if I was not obliged to promise my wife that I would never ride it again.
#8
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Originally Posted by Citoyen du Monde
What is however very dangerous is taking a "header" where you get thrown over the handlebars. This will invariably leave you with major and lasting injuries.
Not all headers are that nasty however. I crashed while sprinting at the finish of an 80 km Highwheeler race (Note to potential organisers: don't put finish banner at the start of a tight and narrow 90 degree corner). Luckily for me, the crowd of Japanese tourists were just the right height. Ever seen cattledogs running over the backs of a tightly packed mob of sheep?
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Originally Posted by LWaB
Ouch!
Not all headers are that nasty however. I crashed while sprinting at the finish of an 80 km Highwheeler race (Note to potential organisers: don't put finish banner at the start of a tight and narrow 90 degree corner). Luckily for me, the crowd of Japanese tourists were just the right height. Ever seen cattledogs running over the backs of a tightly packed mob of sheep?
Not all headers are that nasty however. I crashed while sprinting at the finish of an 80 km Highwheeler race (Note to potential organisers: don't put finish banner at the start of a tight and narrow 90 degree corner). Luckily for me, the crowd of Japanese tourists were just the right height. Ever seen cattledogs running over the backs of a tightly packed mob of sheep?
- Joel
#10
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Originally Posted by LWaB
Ever seen cattledogs running over the backs of a tightly packed mob of sheep?
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Originally Posted by LWaB
Not all headers are that nasty however. I crashed while sprinting at the finish of an 80 km Highwheeler race (Note to potential organisers: don't put finish banner at the start of a tight and narrow 90 degree corner). Luckily for me, the crowd of Japanese tourists were just the right height. Ever seen cattledogs running over the backs of a tightly packed mob of sheep?
#12
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Originally Posted by Citoyen du Monde
Sounds great! But apparently the rear wheel didn't go over the front wheel in true header style. Once the rear wheel goes up there isn't really anything that you can do.