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A penny-farthing in the Škoda Auto Museum, Czech Republic. The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler or ordinary, is an early type of bicycle. [1] It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds, owing to it travelling a large distance for every rotation of the wheel.
The penny-farthing or ordinary cycle was not safe, with a "header" accident an ever-present danger. Others had experimented with chain-driven "safety cycles" but the Rover made its mark to the extent that "Rover" (spelled with a W rather than a V) means "bike" in countries such as Poland .
In 1884 he acquired a black-enameled Columbia 50-inch 'Standard' penny-farthing with nickel-plated wheels, built by the Pope Manufacturing Company of Chicago. He packed his handlebar bag with socks, a spare shirt, a raincoat that doubled as tent and bedroll, and a pocket revolver (described as a "bull-dog revolver", perhaps a British Bull Dog revolver) and left San Francisco at 8 o'clock on 22 ...
The YikeBike mini-farthing is a type of folding electric motorbike released on 2 September 2009 at Eurobike, going into production mid 2010.It weighs 11.2 kilograms (24.7 lb) and when folded, it is small enough to fit in a carry bag, so it can be transported in an urban bus.
An 1880 penny-farthing (left), and a 1886 Rover safety bicycle (right). The first bicycle to be called a "safety" was designed by the English engineer Harry John Lawson (Henry Lawson) in 1876, [6] although other bicycles which fit the description had been developed earlier, such as by Thomas Humber in 1868. [7]
It fell out of favor after the summer of 1869 and was replaced in 1870 with the type of bicycle called "ordinary", "high-wheel", or "penny-farthing". Few original boneshakers exist today, most having been melted for scrap metal during World War I. [ 3 ] Those that do surface from time to time command high prices, typically up to about $5,000 US.
Ariel—50" high wheel bicycle Ariel tricycle circa 1902. The original company was established in 1870 by James Starley and William Hillman.They built wire-spoke wheels under the first British patent; this allowed them also to build a lighter "penny farthing" bicycle which they named 'Ariel' (the spirit of the air).
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