Penny-Farthing: Cycling Through Time in Captivating Vintage Photographs

With its distinctive design, featuring a large front wheel and a small rear wheel, the penny-farthing takes us back to the bygone era of the 19th century.

But what compelled the riders to sit atop these tall instruments and ride with daring grandeur on the rocky roads?

The penny-farthing, affectionately named after the British penny and farthing coins which were the same size, made its grand entrance on the cycling stage in the 1870s.

The first recorded print reference is in Cycling News from 1891. For most of his reign, they were known simply as "bicycles", and were the first machines to bear this name, although they were not the first two-wheeled, pedaled vehicles.

The International Conference on Cycling History now recognizes Eugene Meyer of Paris, rather than James Starley, as the father of the high bicycle.

Mayer patented a wire-spoke tension wheel with individually adjustable spokes in 1869. When introduced in Britain they were called "spider" wheels. Meyer produced a classic high bicycle design during the 1880s.

Ball bearings, solid rubber tires and hollow-section steel frames became standard, reducing weight and making the ride much smoother.

Penny-farthing bicycles are dangerous because of the risk of header (falling over the header first).

Manufacturers developed "mustache" handlebars that cleared the rider's knees, "Whatan" handlebars that wrapped behind the legs, and eventually (though too late, after the development of the safety bicycle), the American " Eagle" and "Star" bicycles, whose large and small wheels were reversed.

Additionally, larger wheels allowed for a smoother ride, which was important before the invention of pneumatic tires.

Although the higher riding position may seem difficult to some people, mounting on a lower velocipede can be learned.

Once the technique is mastered, a high wheeler can be easily driven up and down flat ground and a few hills.

When the wheel hits rocks and potholes, or under hard braking, the rider may be thrown forward off the bicycle.

Hades were relatively common and posed a significant, sometimes fatal, threat.

Riders descending hills often take their feet off the pedals and place them on top of the handlebars, allowing them to be removed with the feet rather than the head.

These were marketed as "safety bicycles" due to their greater ease of mounting and dismounting, less danger of falling, and lower fall height than the penny-farthing.

Although the trend was short-lived, the penny-farthing became a symbol of the end of the Victorian era. Its popularity also coincided with the birth of cycling as a sport.

The farthest (speed) hour record ever achieved on a penny-farthing bicycle was 22.09 miles (35.55 km), set in 1886 by an American, William A. Rowe.

The record for riding from Land's End to John o' Groats on a penny-farthing was set by George Pilkington Mills in 1886 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.