High Wheel Bicycle (also known as Penny Farthing) (2024)

FAQs

What is a penny-farthing also known as? ›

The penny-farthing was the first-ever bicycle. It's technically known as a high wheel bicycle, due to its very large front wheel. The machine was a revolutionary invention at the time, providing high speeds and high levels of shock absorption (i.e. suspension) due to its unusually large wheel - almost 2 metres high!

A high wheel bicycle (also known as a penny farthing, high wheeler and ordinary) is a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel that was popular in the 1880s. The first Penny farthing was invented in 1871 by British engineer, James Starley.

They were faster than traditional bicycles of the time

The large wheel on the front allowed for higher speeds. In those days, cranks were attached directly to a bike's front wheel, meaning the penny farthings' 52-inch wheel was equivalent to having 52 gears.

The penny-farthing is a direct-drive bicycle, meaning the cranks and pedals are fixed directly to the hub. Instead of using gears to multiply the revolutions of the pedals, the driven wheel is enlarged to be close to the rider's inseam, to increase the maximum speed.

Eugène Meyer, an inventor who was born in Alsace and lived in Paris, created the new, high-level bicycle, which became known as the penny farthing, in 1869. He revolutionised cycle manufacturing, introducing innovations such as solid rubber tyres, ball bearings and hollow steel frames.

The penny-farthing is a bicycle that was popular between 1870 and 1890. As the drawing shows, this type of bicycle has a large front wheel and a small rear wheel. On a Sunday ride in the park the front wheel (radius = 1.20 m) makes 150 revolutions.

The former British coin known as a farthing takes its name from the Anglo Saxon word feorthling, or “fourthling,” which refers to its value of one fourth of a penny. Farthings were in use in Britain intermittently from the reign of Henry III (1216–72) until 1960. The first farthings were made of silver.

High-end bicycles are defined as such for a reason: the performance they offer on the road. Their design is more precise, and more competition-oriented. For this reason, they are the best option for experts, but also for amateurs willing to improve their sporting career.

1817 to 1819: The Draisine or Velocipede

Karl von Drais patented this design in 1818, which was the first commercially successful two-wheeled, steerable, human-propelled machine, commonly called a velocipede, and nicknamed hobby-horse or dandy horse. It was initially manufactured in Germany and France.

What is a one wheel bike called? ›

A unicycle is a vehicle that touches the ground with only one wheel. The most common variation has a frame with a saddle, and has a pedal-driven direct-drive. A two speed hub is commercially available for faster unicycling.

The penny-farthing bike got its name from its two differently-sized wheels, with the front wheel likened to a penny coin and the much smaller rear wheel compared to a farthing (a quarter of a penny). It was a style of bicycle popular in the 1870s and 1880s.

Demand continued to dwindle, and production of the farthing was discontinued after 1956. Eliminating the farthing from commerce also made way for a possible smaller penny and halfpenny that Royal Mint officials contemplated proposing. The farthing ceased to be legal tender after 31 December 1960.

A Farthing has a nominal value of one quarter of a Penny. The first Silver farthing was issued in 1279 under Edward I, however they are commonly associated more so with later milled Copper issues, especially that of Charles II, Anne and Victoria.

Penny farthings were notoriously difficult to handle, and if a rider ever attempted to stop too abruptly, there was a chance that he or she would “take a header”, which in other words meant “fly headlong over the handlebars and into the ground”.

Many Victorians enjoyed riding penny-farthings, and it became a very popular sport and hobby.

Thomas Stevens (24 December 1854 – 24 January 1935) was the first person to circle the globe by bicycle. He rode a large-wheeled Ordinary, also known as a penny-farthing, from April 1884 to December 1886.

The Farthing (¼d) coin from "fourthing," was worth one quarter of a Penny. It was minted in Bronze and replaced the earlier Copper Farthings, it was used during the reign of six monarchs: Victoria, Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII, George VI and Elizabeth II, ceasing to be legal tender in 1960.

The Penny Farthing was the first machine to be called a bicycle. Its name came from its large front wheel and smaller back wheel, which resembled the largest and smallest coins of the time. The Penny Farthing bicycle was designed by British Victorian inventor, James Starley.

The farthing began as a small silver coin in the 13th century and its name is derived from the Old English word feorthing meaning “a fourth part”. Prior to 1279, the only coin that was in circulation was the penny, and to form smaller change, the penny was cut into halves or quarters.

Were penny-farthings expensive? ›

The penny farthing cost the equivalent of several month wages. They were made to measure and this 54 inch (137 cm) model would have been suitable for a rider of approximately 5 ft 10 inches (176 cm) in height.

Until then, for the purpose of change, pennies were cut into halves and quarters, so that a halfpenny was literally half a penny and a farthing a quarter or 'fourthing'.

In its time of circulation, the farthing coin was worth one-fourth of a penny and before decimalisation, there were 240 pennies to a pound. In today's money, this would mean that a farthing would have a value of 0.10 pence.

The British farthing is a continuation of the English farthing, struck by English monarchs prior to the Act of Union 1707 which unified the crowns of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain. Only pattern farthings were struck under Queen Anne as there was a glut of farthings from previous reigns.