Spring is here – time to dust off the Penny Farthing!

One iconic symbol of the late nineteenth century is that bicycle with the impossibly large front wheel.  Popular in the 1870's and 1880's, it was known as the “Penny-Farthing”, named after the largest (penny) and smallest (farthing) British coins.  One look at it will confirm that this was a man’s recreation machine – skirts of any length would be quite a hindrance.  But it’s hard to imagine how penny-farthings were mounted, regardless of what the rider was wearing.

If you’ve ever wondered why that wheel was so big – and who, seeing one, wouldn’t wonder that – you should know that the precursor to the Penny-Farthing – the velocipede a.k.a. the “boneshaker” – had wheels that were more similar in size (but oddly, not exactly the same size!).  But the penny-farthing’s big front wheel allowed for much faster speeds.  Unfortunately, it also allowed for frequent “headers”, when the rider was pitched forward off of the bicycle when the wheel hit a bump in the road.  Luckily for cycling enthusiasts, the safety bicycle with its chain drive was invented in the late 1880's, giving riders those desired speeds and as a bonus, letting their feet to touch the ground if necessary.

But what’s that you say?  You yearn for the days of the Penny-Farthing?  Well, a little trip to Tasmania may be just the ticket.  The 32^nd Annual National Penny Farthing Championships are in February – great time of year to visit Australia:  http://www.evandalevillagefair.com/

Some fads never fade away completely.  Even those that perhaps should!