It’s always a rare pleasure to see one of these beautiful, elegant cycles. Penny Farthing is the British term for this early style of bicycle – the term derives from two coins of the time: the penny (large) and farthing (small). This bicycle has also gone by the names Ordinary and High Wheeler. There was no gearing on these bikes – the pedals were attached directly to the axle, essentially making this like a large unicycle. To get greater speeds, the wheel size was made quite large. This design was quite treacherous – the rider sat high (and over the center hub), and any sudden stops sent him/her flying. Mounting was quite tricky – see Gary Anderson (in the photo) demonstrate mounting and riding in my video:

These High Wheelers had a short history – the invention of the safety bicycle, with its gear-driven chain drive (and smaller wheels of the same size), made the High Wheeler obsolete in a short time. Riders, builders, and organizations of these enthusiasts (such as The Wheelmen) still live on, but the diamond frame design of the safety bicycle remains the standard today…