Originally Posted by
Milton Keynes
I read the Wikipedia article on the Penny-Farthings, and they were/are actually quite dangerous for flipping your forward and landing on your face. Apparently a lot of people died riding those things when they couldn't get stopped and flipped forward. Some riders took to putting their legs over the handlebars when going down a hill so they'd be ready to land on their feet. The main issue with the design is that you're basically sitting very nearly directly over the front axle with a high center of gravity.
Now we know why when the "regular" style bike was invented, it was called the "safety bicycle". Those Penny Farthings are as cool as all get-out, but I couldn't even imagine riding one! Imagine having to dismount from the rear every time you stop?!