Thepenny-farthing, also known as ahigh wheel,high wheeler orordinary, is an early type ofbicycle.[1] It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds, owing to its travelling a long distance for every rotation of the wheel. These bicycles had solidrubber tires and as a consequence the onlyshock absorption was in the saddle.
The penny-farthing becameobsolete in the late 1880s with the development of modern bicycles, which provided similar speed, via achain-drivengear train, and comfort, from the use ofpneumatic tires. These later bikes were marketed as "safety bicycles" because of the greater ease of mounting and dismounting, the reduced danger of falling, and the reduced height to fall, in comparison to penny-farthings.[2][3]
The name came from the Britishpenny andfarthing coins, the penny being much larger than the farthing, so that the side view of the bicycle resembles a larger penny (the front wheel) leading a smaller farthing (the rear wheel).[4] Although the name "penny-farthing" is now the most common, it was probably not used until the machines had been almost superseded. The first recorded print reference is from 1891 inBicycling News.[5] For most of their reign they were simply known as "bicycles" and were the first machines to be so called, although they were not the first two-wheeled, pedalled vehicles.[1] In the late 1890s, the name "ordinary" began to be used, to distinguish them from the emerging safety bicycles,[6] and that term, along with "hi-wheel" and variants, are preferred by many modern enthusiasts.[7][8]
Following the popularity of theboneshaker,Eugène Meyer, a Frenchman, invented the high-wheeler bicycle design in 1869 and fashioned thewire-spoke tension wheel.[9] Around 1870, English inventorJames Starley described as the father of the bicycle industry, and others, began producing bicycles based on the French boneshaker but with front wheels of increasing size,[4] because larger front wheels, up to 5 feet (152 cm) in diameter, enabled higher speeds on bicycles limited todirect-drive.[3][4][10][11][12] In 1878,Albert Pope began manufacturing theColumbia bicycle outsideBoston, starting their two-decade heyday in the United States.[4]
Although the trend was short-lived, the penny-farthing became a symbol of the lateVictorian era. Its popularity also coincided with the birth of cycling as a sport.[4]
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Eugène Meyer ofParis is now regarded as the father of the high bicycle[9] by the International Cycling History Conference in place ofJames Starley. Meyer patented awire-spoke tension wheel with individually adjustable spokes in 1869.[4] They were called "spider" wheels in Britain when introduced there.[4] Meyer produced a classic high bicycle design during the 1880s.
James Starley inCoventry added the tangentspokes[4] and the mounting step to his famous bicycle named "Ariel". He is regarded as the father of the British cycling industry.Ball bearings,solid rubber tires and hollow-section steel frames became standard, reducing weight and making the ride much smoother.[4]
Penny-farthing bicycles are dangerous because of the risk of headers (taking a fall over the handlebars head-first). Makers developed"moustache" handlebars, allowing the rider's knees to clear them,[13] "Whatton" handlebars that wrapped around behind the legs,[14] and ultimately (though too late, after development of the safety bicycle), the American "Eagle" and"Star" bicycles, whose large and small wheels were reversed.[15][16] This prevented headers but left the danger of being thrown backwards when riding uphill. Other attempts included moving the seat rearward and driving the wheel by levers ortreadles, as in the "Xtraordinary" and "Facile",[17][18] or gears, by chain as in the "Kangaroo" or at the hub, as in the "Crypto";[15] another option was to move the seat well back, as in the "Rational".[15][19]
Even so, bicycling remained the province of the urban well-to-do, and mainly men, until the 1890s,[20] and was a salient example ofconspicuous consumption.[21]
The penny-farthing used a larger wheel than thevelocipede, thus giving higher speeds on all but the hills. In addition, the large wheel gave a smoother ride,[22] important before the invention ofpneumatic tires.[23]
An attribute of the penny-farthing is that the rider sits above the front axle. When the wheel strikes rocks and ruts, or under hard braking, the rider can be pitched forward off the bicycle head-first. Headers were relatively common and a significant, sometimes fatal, hazard. Riders coasting down hills often took their feet off the pedals and put them over the tops of the handlebars, so they would be pitched off feet-first instead of head-first.[14]
Penny-farthing bicycles often used similar materials and construction as earlier velocipedes: cast iron frames, solid rubber tires, andplain bearings for pedals, steering, and wheels. They were often quite durable and required little service. For example, when cyclistThomas Stevens rode around the world in the 1880s, he reported only one significant mechanical problem in over 20,000 kilometres (12,000 miles), caused when the local military confiscated his bicycle and damaged the front wheel.
The well-known dangers of the penny-farthing[24] were, for the time of its prominence, outweighed by its strengths. While it was a difficult, dangerous machine, it was simpler, lighter, and faster than the safer velocipedes of the time. Two new developments changed this situation, and led to the rise of thesafety bicycle. The first was thechain drive, originally used ontricycles, allowing agear ratio to be chosen independent of the wheel size. The second was the pneumaticbicycle tire, allowing smaller wheels to provide a smooth ride.
The nephew of one of the men responsible for popularity of the penny-farthing was largely responsible for its demise. James Starley had built the Ariel (spirit of the air)[25] high-wheeler in 1870; but this was a time of innovation, and whenchain drives were upgraded so that each link had a smallroller, higher and higher speeds became possible without the need for a large front wheel.
In 1885, Starley's nephewJohn Kemp Starley took these new developments to launch the modern bicycle, theRoversafety bicycle, so-called because the rider, seated much lower and farther behind the front wheel contact point, was less prone to a header.[4][26]
In 1888, whenJohn Dunlop re-invented the pneumatic tire for his son's tricycle, the high wheel was made obsolete. The comfortable ride once found only on tall wheels could now be enjoyed on smaller chain-driven bicycles. By 1893, high-wheelers were no longer being produced.[3] Use lingered into the 1920s intrack cycling until racing safety bicycles were adequately designed.
Today, enthusiasts ride restored penny-farthings, and a few manufacturers build new ones with modern materials.[27] Manufacturers include Richards of England (Hull, UK), Rideable Bicycle Replicas (US), Trott & Sons (UK) and UDC (Taiwan).[28] One of these manufacturers, UDC Penny Farthings, the largest penny-farthing retailer in the United Kingdom, recorded record sales of penny-farthings in 2020 during theCOVID-19 lockdown.[29]
The Penny Farthing Club is acycling club that was founded in 2013 byNeil Laughton. The club offers rider training, bike tours of London and other UK cities, and hosts club events such aspenny-farthing polo.[30]
The penny-farthing is a direct-drive bicycle, meaning the cranks and pedals are fixed directly to the hub. Instead of usinggears to multiply the revolutions of the pedals, the driven wheel is enlarged so the radius from the hub to the outer wheel is comfortable for the rider to reach the pedals fixed to the hub. But the rider needs to be able to both mount the saddle and reach the pedals. If the wheel is too large, this will not be achievable. For instance a 5'9" cyclist due to their leg length could at best ride a 50"-54" high wheel depending on the height of the saddle.
The frame is a single tube following the circumference of the front wheel, then diverting to a trailing wheel. A mounting peg is above the rear wheel. The front wheel is in a rigid fork with little if anytrail. Aspoon brake is usually fitted on the fork crown, operated by a lever from one of thehandlebars. The bars are usually mustache shaped, dropping from the level of theheadset. Thesaddle mounts on the frame less than 18 inches (46 cm) behind the headset.
One particular model, made byPope Manufacturing Company in 1886, weighs 36 pounds (16 kg), has a 60-spoke 53-inch (130 cm) front wheel and a 20-spoke 18-inch (46 cm) rear wheel. It is fitted with solid rubber tires. The rims, frame, fork, and handlebars are made from hollow,steel tubing. The steel axles are mounted in adjustableball bearings. The leather saddle is suspended by springs.[31]
Another model, made byHumber and Co., Ltd., ofBeeston, Nottingham, weighs only 24 pounds (11 kg), and has 52-and-18-inch (132 and 46 cm) wheels. It has no step and no brakes, in order to minimize weight.[32]
A third model, also made by Pope Manufacturing Company, weighs 49 pounds (22 kg) and hasforged steel forks. Abrake lever on the right of a straight handlebar operates aspoon brake against the front wheel.[33]
All three have cranks that can be adjusted for length.
It is generally advised to mount a penny-farthing from flat, level ground, since mounting on a slight incline may prevent the cyclist from gaining momentum and possibly result in loss of balance. Similarly, dismounting on an incline is also advised against.[34] Speed moderation, as with other types of bicycles, is an important safety measure. In particular, freewheeling and sudden braking are discouraged due to the increased danger of falling and of being ejected from the vehicle in comparison with a modern bicycle.[35] Changing direction on a penny-farthing also requires caution, due to its more restrictive steering.[36] Generally, riding a penny-farthing is comparable to riding other types of bicycle in respect to anticipating hazards, signalling, and defensive cycling. Penny-farthings are legal to ride on UK roads.[37]
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Frederick Lindley Dodds, of Stockton-on-Tees, England, is credited with having set the first hour record, covering an estimated distance of 15 miles and 1,480 yards (25.493 kms) on a high-wheeler during a race on the Fenner's Track, Cambridge University on March 25, 1876.[38]
The furthest (paced) hour record ever achieved on a penny-farthing bicycle was 22.09 miles (35.55 km) by William A. Rowe, an American, in 1886.[39]
The record for riding fromLand's End to John o' Groats on a penny-farthing was set in 1886 byGeorge Pilkington Mills with a time of five days, one hour, and 45 minutes. This record was broken in 2019 by Richard Thoday with a time of four days, 11 hours and 52 minutes.[40][41]
Until the 21st century, the last paced hour record to be set on a penny-farthing was probably BW Attlee's 1891 English amateur record of 21.10 miles (33.96 km).[39] This was beaten by Scots cyclistMark Beaumont atHerne Hill Velodrome on 16 June 2018 when he covered 21.92 miles (35.28 km).[42][43]
In 1884,Thomas Stevens rode (and walked) a Columbia penny-farthing in 103 days from San Francisco to Boston[4]—the first cyclist to cross the United States. In 1885–86, he continued from London through Europe, the Middle East, China, and Japan, to become the first to ride around the world.
Tremendous feats of balance were reported, including negotiating a narrow bridgeparapet and riding down theU.S. Capitol steps with theAmerican Star Bicycle which has the small wheel in front.[44]
The bike, with the one wheel dominating, led to riders being referred to in America as "wheelmen", a name that lived on for nearly a century in the League of American Wheelmen until renamed theLeague of American Bicyclists in 1994.[45] Clubs of racing cyclists wore uniforms ofpeaked caps, tight jackets and knee-length breeches, with leather shoes, the caps and jackets displaying the club's colors. In 1967 collectors and restorers of penny-farthings (and other early bicycles) founded the Wheelmen,[46] a non-profit organization "dedicated to keeping alive the heritage of American cycling".
The high-wheeler lives on in thegear inch units used by cyclists in English-speaking countries to describe gear ratios.[47] These are calculated by multiplying the wheel diameter in inches by the number of teeth on the front chain-wheel and dividing by the teeth on the rear sprocket. The result is the equivalent diameter of a penny-farthing wheel. A 60-inch gear, the largest practicable size for a high-wheeler, is nowadays a middle gear of autility bicycle, while top gears on many exceed 100 inches. There was at least one 64-inch (1.6 m) Columbia made in the mid-1880s,[48] but 60 was the largest in regular production.
A penny-farthing is the logo ofThe Village in the cult 1960stelevision seriesThe Prisoner, and is also featured in the show's closing titles. Co-creator and starPatrick McGoohan stated that the bike represented slowing down the wheels of progress.
The penny-farthing is a symbol of the cities ofSparta, Wisconsin;[49]Davis, California;[50] andRedmond, Washington.[51]
Eugene Meyer ... gets the credit for making the high-wheeler feasible and making it known.
Whatton bars were handlebars that came under the legs from behind, so that in the event of a pitch forward the rider could land feet first.
An original can cost $29,000, a well-made replica $4,000 to $5,000; cheaper, newer examples can be had for less than $1,000.
