The invention of the safety bicycle was dependent on the invention of several "new" technologies and practical manufacturing techniques. Whilst today they're taken for granted, they simply didn't exist at the time the Penny emerged. The Penny was a fast machine, reliable and the pinnacle of human transport. But things were changing very quickly in manufacturing technology, which meant the Penny only had a decade or so before it was superceded. By contrast, the first "Safety" bikes were complicated beasts, less reliable and only marginally safer.
The chain drive was the key. Without that, you could only ride faster by scaling up the diameter of the driven wheel. A chain with different sized sprockets decouples the wheel size from rotational speed for a given pedal cadence.
In the 1880's, a man named Thomas Stevens rode a penny farthing around the world, then wrote a book about it. The book is available online, and is very much worth reading.
@@bildo99ify Not the same. Hayes rode from New York to San Francisco several years later than Stevens...in 72 days, which is quite remarkable. Stevens rode from San Francisco east to Boston, which took 104 days, then took ship to London and began the European leg of his journey. The story can be read for free at Project Gutenberg.
True, I always assumed people just accepted whatever they could get back then without complaining about it. And I didn't think about the lack of air in tires back then and how it would make a larger front wheel an improvement over what actually looked more normal to us.
That's kinda funny I actually had kinda the opposite reaction when I saw the title and the thumbnail. I was like "I don't understand, what's wrong with it?".
The "Big Wheel " tricycle, is basically the same basic design.... But rotated, and with two instead of one wheel behind the ride... Creating the most stable rideable toy in history, from the most unstable platform in history.... Talk about irony???
I had an uncle that used to dress up in old time attire or as Uncle Sam and ride a high wheeler in parades back in the 1970s. Thank you for this history lesson. I still remember him moaning about how hard it was to get a replacement solid tube tire for a high wheeler.
I'm going to go a little "Seth" here. The idea of being a "visual learner" etc. is a myth. I was doing some research earlier this year and came across this. If you're interested, I can dig up a video that explains how this educational approach came about.
@@rrolleman4879 Sorry, I'll rephrase. I was having a hard time imagining what it would look like if someone were to do as Seth described so I appreciate his demonstration.
Great review and demo. I was vacationing in Martha's vineyard with my family and we rented "safety" bicycles. Suddenly a guy on Penny Farthing caught up with us and went ahead. Despite having a gear shift I barely was able to keep up with him. I was dwarfed by the size of the bike. Later we learn that there was a meeting of an ancient bike enthusiasts. They wore old style attire and shoes too. I saw these bikes only on old pictures before, I couldn't believe my own eyes seeing them next to me. 🤩
I rode a big one once, I'm 6'1. The seat was right up against the neck and it was absolutely insane. I came from a fixed gear background (Messenger turned national level track rider) so that was ok. What was REALLY insane is that because the BB is also the axle, when you pedal forward it turns into the lead foot slightly so it's weaving back and forth. Ok, that's a thing to get used to BUT when you're breaking it reverses that effect! All of a sudden you're into this groove of counter steering into your pedal strokes and feeling ok, then you go to slow down and the bike violently swerves in the direction of your trailing foot! On the one I rode, the seat height was probably 5'6 or more so bailing off wasn't really an option! Cool experience but 10/10 never again.
Seth you should collab with Sam Pilgrim in berm peak or somewhere else. It would be sick to see the two biggest and best mtb channels in the same video
@@EverythingMTB1 I remember Seth meeting up with Blake from GMBN. Don't remember Pilgs being in it. It would be cool to see Sam take on the sketchiness that is Berm Peak though.
It reassures me that even back then they considered it dangerous. Looking at pictures of those giant wheels when I was a kid, I couldn't imagine how someone would comfortably ride them like it's nothing : D
The list of things done, said, written, and researched well in this video seems almost endless. It's an extremely engaging bit of bike-related "content," enjoyable to anyone who's ridden a bike (so most people) but also and especially for enthusiasts. Love the MTB-specific stuff, but this was a truly excellent video.
joshuatatro, there is almost NOTHING in this video that is well written or researched. This is easily the WORST, least accurate "penny farthing" video on TH-cam. The presenter gets more wrong than right, and with good information available, that is inexcusable. Then, the guy spends most of the video on a "funny bike", intended to be a novelty thing, which besides superficial shape similarity to the subject matter, is really a very different machine. This video is an embarrassment.
I once rode a tandem bike where the rider in back was actually facing backward while pedaling. I"d like to see a video of that. Tandems in general would be cool to see Seth cover.
That clip of the race is from the High Wheel Bike Race held every July in Frederick, MD. It is the only high wheel bike race held in the USA. It is awesome. There are not always crashes, but occasionally happen.
Repent of sin and Trust in Jesus! John 14:6 6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Matthew 7:13-23 13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. John 3:16-21 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. 19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God. -
I got to ride a replica penny-farthing a few times. When I went down a hill, I stood on the mounting step and scuffed one foot on the back wheel. It made sense to me, but I've never heard of it elsewhere.
I remember reading that guys used to basically do the old bmx bar-hop (swing their feet forward over the bars) when going downhill so when they inevitably crashed, they could just jump forward instead of tangling their knees in the bars. Of course, this meant their feet were off the pedals so there was no real speed control aside from a rear brake or maybe the spoon-style friction brake on the front wheel. Insane.
I wonder if you could design it where instead of handlebars going out to the sides, there a single steering lever going straight forward. That way, your legs could naturally swing past.
I have a 56" Victory Highwheel, and believe me, the 2 variations you have are way off on how they were made. The backbone is supposed to taper, and the fork assembly is one piece. The back wheel actually tucks in a little below the front wheel - about 2-3 inches for compactness. The tires are solid rubber with a wire through it that tightens around the rim. The front tire is thicker than the back, and the spokes are wired and soldered where they intersect on the front wheel. There is a spoon brake that is a lever on the handlebar that pushes a spoon right on the tire - not an effective brake itself, but it makes going down hills a tiny bit easier on your legs. I have ridden this bicycle on smooth undulating singletrack, and yes, you ride it on rougher terrain if you have strong legs and good balance - just be sure to keep you weight back when you hit bumps, or even "ride the step" (you get off the saddle and coast with one foot on the step-up) Like you discovered, it's a really comfortable ride. I do commute on my highwheel to the grocery store and amongst traffic. I have to plan my stops and time the lights, and be mindful that it's hard to start uphill, and steep downhills with stop signs or traffic lights be very cautious, and make sure you are fit enough to control the bicycle safely. Cars DO see you, so visibility is not much of an issue, plus you have a fantastic view way up there.
Worked at a little bike shop for awhile and we had this full sized reproduction, not the scaled down version Seth is riding. This big old dude saw it propped up outside and really wanted to ride it. He was fascinated but being kind of a dick about it because I initially told him no. (I knew how sketchy they were). But he wouldn’t relent so I was like, alright, good luck man. These bike have a step and you have to do a firm little scooter push to get up on the seat and have enough momentum to get your feet on the pedals and keep it upright. And then you’re up there surprisingly high. Dude foisted it himself up fine but had just enough speed to turn the cranks once, twice then absolutely toppled over like a shit ton of bricks, feet on the pedals all the way down and when his hip impacted the cement I could feel the slab shake. He limped away not saying another word and I think that was probably the last time he asked anyone for permission to ride a Penny Farthing.
David-du5vk, it is really stupid & careless to let clearly unqualified people try to ride these, at least without them first signing a liability waiver. People can get badly hurt, and then they will sue you, or your shop, or whatever. I give highwheel bike riding lessons, always after a legal waiver is signed, always in an open, level paved area like an empty parking lot, always with the new rider wearing equestrian helmet, knee pads and leather padded gloves. And I don't let people on the bike if they don't have a suitable leg length for the size of wheel. And THEN, I work them up to it a bit at a time, not just handing them the bike and letting them go at it.
4:19 "There are a few things about its construction that make it better than a lot of modern bikes". If you pass someone on the street and overhear that sentence - your neighbourhood is about to be gentrified. Get used to eating coco-pops out of a vintage speaker enclosure when you go out for dinner.
Love it! "Taking a header" was coined from the Penny Farthing (pun intended!) era. I've ridden a "Rideable Replica" and was blown away at how much flex & turning happens while pedaling. It's all over the place! Definitely take getting used to. And the "don't slow down too fast" worry is always hanging over your head (literally!!!).
So, this year on the Downhill world championship i'll be running the new -3" rims on the rear with the new tyres from my sponsor Schwalbe, the Magic Mini DH Tubeless tyres on the ultrasoft compound....
Please make a follow up video about taking this to the local trails wearing normal attire from the 1860s. Bonus points if you can keep the Monocle in your eye all the way to the bottom.
I really find it fascinating that they ever thought that thing was a good idea. How was it even designed without anyone saying "what if it was balanced a bit better?"
It solves a problem that no longer exists thanks to better infrastructure and more advanced technology. It's like looking at an old car that's basically a death trap compared to modern vehicles, "how could anyone ride in these?"
@@AirLancer well yeah but thats because they didnt understand electricity back then and how to make airbags wagons and carriages had evenly sized wheels for centuries before the first bike, yet they thought "what if we made like a tiny wagon for one person to power with their feet... and what if the wheels were DRASTICALLY different sizes for NO reason"
@@shybandit521many of the first cars were electric. On the high wheeler you don't require a chain and it has very few moving parts so it's no wonder it predates bikes with chains and gears.
@@timlewis5527 that's true, i should have specified "they don't have as sophisticated of an understanding how to make and use it efficiently like we do now" Also yeah you're right I guess the chains and gears system is pretty innovative and I can see why it took them time to develop it
at first i was like no way he just wanted to do a farthing bc sams did so good. but i love the fact you name dropped him specifically. youre a good dude
If you ever find yourself in western Ohio I would highly recommend the Bicycle museum of America in New Bremen. It's a tiny town but the museum was very interesting.
About the alignment thing you mention. Much less of a problem on a large size Penny Farthing. But the most common construction i've seen it's actually the frame that is hinged from the fork/handlabar which is a solid unit, so it's not gonna move out of alignment.
The real reason for the large front wheel wasn't for absorbing road bumps. It had to do with pedal ratio. With a large wheel (with the pedal crank mounted directly on the wheel) you didn't have to pedal as fast to get good speed. Before the high wheel, bicycles still had the crank on the front wheel, but the wheel was smaller, and cyclists found they had to pedal quite fast just to obtain a decent clip of speed. Their solution was to make the front wheel larger. Of course that had its draw backs, like the ones you mentioned. I imagine there were quite a few head injuries back in the day.
What got me to watch this video was the penny-farthing's association with The Prisoner. That's the music that goes through my head when I see one of those bikes. Be seeing you!
The 19th Century had a massive amount of technological innovations we usually don't even think of. Baking soda for example was only discovered in 1801 and not factory produced until 1846. Before then, you always had to use traditional leavening agents (almost always yeasts) for baking.
You should get a lay-down bike, super arodynamic and if they have a wind cover you can reach high speeds for a long time! Would love to see you pov on it!
The Penny Farthing was called The Standard. Its riders were called Wheelmen. They considered The Safety to be a pale substitute and greatly lamented its ascendency. The Wheelmen roamed Victorian parks towering above pedestrians who didn’t have the wherewithall to manage such an exclusive machine. Of course the term “header” was invented for the accident that would occur when you hit an obstacle and your wheel stopped, you kept going and at the same time your knees were trapped under the handlebars. If you had to design a mechanism to give headers you couldn’t do better then The Standard. You captured all of this. Great video.
That would be interesting, although it would likely end up being the story of "Clunkers", "Repack" and the famous Marin County mountain bikers. But that wasn't where "all terrain" bicyles started, it's just where one group caught the imagination of several frame builders, and eventually a bicycle manufacturer. Not to diminish their huge global impact on cycling, but their focus was mainly on racing and downhill thrills. Riding specialist and bespoke bikes UP and DOWN mountains and on cross country expeditions etc was already a thing... just on a small scale.
The moment you took that on a mountain bike trail, my anxiety shot through the ceiling. I felt like I just accidentally found snuff. Awesome video, ;earned some cool things. Going to refer to modern bikes as safety bikes from time to time.
I saw a penny farthing bicycle in a museum once which had a rudimentary brake; it consisted of a spoon-shaped, hand lever activated device which could be presssd against the front tire.
Can you please make more bicycle historian type of videos? Maybe try and add in a bit of stock footage of people actually riding the things way back when. You do an excellent job of making this interesting and telling these stories. I'd love to hear about the sketchy rides people in the early 1900s went on. Talk about some sketchy downhill races or something that people participated in. Would be a nice new, unique spin on your channel. I think a lot of us here are bike nerds.
There was a journalist named Stevens who rode a high wheeler around the world in the 18th century, the book is a great read... I was amazed by how well he could ride over bad roads and even open terrain and fields....
I ride my 52” hiwheel more than any of my other bikes. Descending is sketchy but climbing is not that bad. I’ve even got videos of my climbing the golden gate in them.
1893 came the patent on pedersen bicycle as the first bicycle with the same size on front and backweel, they manufacture it still in copenhagen at copenhagen bike factory. Thanks for great content!
Hey Seth, love everything you do. I know you have plenty of ideas coming down the pipeline. But id love to see you revisiting some of those products that were sent in over the year past that you actually still use and love? Thanks for everything, and continuing to motivate us.
Two history notes ( I hope they are redundant) : I think this first is from a collection of historical rides from BICYCLING magazine that I encountered while preparing for my solo trip around the world with a bicycle: the first clearly documented bicycle trip around the world in 1864 +/- was on a penny farthing. The second is a book I was given in Wales: AROUND THE WORLD ON A WHEEL - Three Englishmen on safety bicycles 1894-1896 (2years & 6weeks). They started following the newly completed London to Calcutta telegraph line.
1:46 THANK YOU for giving the adjusted for inflation price! So many other people would just be like "it cost $10" and give no further info despite the fact we are talking more than a century ago.
I learned so much about the history of bicycles when I visited the Marin Museum in Fairfax, CA. Super fun and the staff were awesome and gave me a personal tour and history lesson, I highly recommend (FYI, I’m from Halifax, NS.)
You sure know your stuff! The most amusing scenes of a lot of penny farthing being ridden was the 1967 movie "Those Fantastic Flying Fools" where actress Dalilah Lavi got on one to go try and get a message to someone! Haha!
I cannot fathom the severity and number of serious accidents caused by the Penny Farthing. Very dangerous bikes. Thanks for the backstory and the interesting video.
It’s been so long since I last saw a Penny Farthing bike. Last time I saw one was when I was 5 back in 2002. The man had a vintage 1950’s replica of his grandad’s 1870’s original which I just thought was the most adorable thing. So much so that it’s a memory that’s stuck with me. Clearly these bikes were loved despite their flaws.
At first i was a little disappointed that he didn't ride the big wheel, but then my jaw dropped at showing the dangers with this bike 😮 Thumbs up for the dedication 👍
I’m from Frederick MD! I love watching the Penny farthing race every year! I’ve even considered racing it! But the crashes are real and super common when racing such a wild bike.
My family owns a collection of original penny-farthings and we often travel around to ride them at shows and various historical events. They're very unstable compared to modern recreations, and we like to call them "danger bikes" as opposed to the "safety bikes" that succeeded them.
I have a similar Penny Farthing to Seth's, and can confirm they are both a unique experience and great fun. But, with a smallish front wheel, definitely not fast. 😁
Back a few years when New Belgium Brewing company still had the Tour de Fat, they had a weird bike corral that was open to the public. There was always a couple different versions of these. So much fun, especially after a couple brews. So many different bikes to ride. It was really fun and good.
Thanks to the "Wright Brothers" as they started off making, repairing & renting bicycles, then of course invented the first airplane or rather that Glider "thing-a-ma-jig" contraption at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903..... I visited the museum there in 2012, really cool place.
Saw a video of a bloke on one of these going down Pikes Peak. Had a massive catastrophic failure of the front wheel and a huge crash. I had plenty of spills off pushbikes when I was young but I still feel that crash even though it didn't happen to me.
My uncle used to collect them and do restorations on them, bought and sold parts etc. I never saw him ride one though. My dad was at his shop back in the 1960's and decided he was going to ride one. Within about 15 minutes my aunt was calling my mom to come get him and take him to the doctor because he broke his arm. Back then ambulances and emergency rooms were for when you got "bad hurt" lmao
Seth, your always up for a challenge, how about you build a MTB Penny Farthing (add an old 3 speed internal hub - disk brake to counteract the free spool) 😜
Well I am just seeing this. I want to say it was very well done and the host rather clever. The greatest film segment of a penny farthing in use is Passepartout's ride through London in the original Around the World in 80 Days. Especially when seen in cinerama.
My favorite part of this video was you crediting Sam Pilgrim. Much respect for that. Today is gonna be epic BECAUSE Seth is riding a Penny Farthing!! Love it.
I remember seeing the penny farthing segment of the jackass 2 movie and thinking those spills looked brutal. Cool to hear the mechanics behind what makes these bikes so sketchy
The absolute dedication to the bit of riding obscene bikes down trails they weren't made for is always educational.
Obscene?
I'm so mad he didn't show what he looked like while doing it 😂
@@Mongolold "offensive or disgusting by accepted standards of morality and decency."
I want a gif of riding the penny farthing down the stairs!
Edjutainment
Makes you fully realise what a game changing innovation the Safety Bicycle was. Surely one of the best inventions since the wheel.
The invention of the safety bicycle was dependent on the invention of several "new" technologies and practical manufacturing techniques. Whilst today they're taken for granted, they simply didn't exist at the time the Penny emerged. The Penny was a fast machine, reliable and the pinnacle of human transport. But things were changing very quickly in manufacturing technology, which meant the Penny only had a decade or so before it was superceded. By contrast, the first "Safety" bikes were complicated beasts, less reliable and only marginally safer.
Obviously; it does have two of them.
The chain drive was the key. Without that, you could only ride faster by scaling up the diameter of the driven wheel. A chain with different sized sprockets decouples the wheel size from rotational speed for a given pedal cadence.
"don't reinvent the wheel" yeah reinvent the hardware around the wheel
Double the wheels, double the fun
Imagine being on a peaceful mountain bike ride and you see Seth on a high wheel bombing down the trails
You'd see Sam Pilgrim first
@@realDonaldTrump420 he would send it no problem
I know someone who’s good on a unicycle, like really good
@@WeekendPirate that's the story of how he lost his tooth XD
@@WeekendPirate it would be soo good. and he would put fox 40s on it.
In the 1880's, a man named Thomas Stevens rode a penny farthing around the world, then wrote a book about it. The book is available online, and is very much worth reading.
I have a book here called An American Cycling Odyssey 1887 by Kevin J. Hayes to read next. Is that the same one?
@@bildo99ify Not the same. Hayes rode from New York to San Francisco several years later than Stevens...in 72 days, which is quite remarkable. Stevens rode from San Francisco east to Boston, which took 104 days, then took ship to London and began the European leg of his journey. The story can be read for free at Project Gutenberg.
Please post its ISBN number?!? 🤠👍
@@worldtraveler930 Sorry, YT won't let me post it. I've tried twice now and my replies disappear instantly. More censorship run amuck.
@@r.awilliams9815 Try writing it out Alphabetically instead of using numbers?!? 🤠👍
As a kid I always thought "those things like sketchy AF". I’m so satisfied that they really are every bit of sketch as I thought they were. 😀
True, I always assumed people just accepted whatever they could get back then without complaining about it. And I didn't think about the lack of air in tires back then and how it would make a larger front wheel an improvement over what actually looked more normal to us.
That's kinda funny I actually had kinda the opposite reaction when I saw the title and the thumbnail. I was like "I don't understand, what's wrong with it?".
The "Big Wheel " tricycle, is basically the same basic design.... But rotated, and with two instead of one wheel behind the ride...
Creating the most stable rideable toy in history, from the most unstable platform in history.... Talk about irony???
@@nc3826 I hated my big wheel growing up because I could never get it to move in our super tall unkempt yard
@@screamingcactus1753 My comment, actually alludes to why that is the case.... And good luck, keeping it kept....
I had an uncle that used to dress up in old time attire or as Uncle Sam and ride a high wheeler in parades back in the 1970s. Thank you for this history lesson. I still remember him moaning about how hard it was to get a replacement solid tube tire for a high wheeler.
You use wheelchair tire stock cut to length
3:29 😂 he didn’t have to sacrifice himself to demonstrate what would happen but as a visual learner… I appreciate that he did.
He could've just showed (3:53) hahaha
For science of course! hahahahaha
I'm going to go a little "Seth" here. The idea of being a "visual learner" etc. is a myth. I was doing some research earlier this year and came across this. If you're interested, I can dig up a video that explains how this educational approach came about.
@@rrolleman4879 Sorry, I'll rephrase. I was having a hard time imagining what it would look like if someone were to do as Seth described so I appreciate his demonstration.
I'm your 300th liker here & bye.
Great review and demo. I was vacationing in Martha's vineyard with my family and we rented "safety" bicycles. Suddenly a guy on Penny Farthing caught up with us and went ahead. Despite having a gear shift I barely was able to keep up with him. I was dwarfed by the size of the bike. Later we learn that there was a meeting of an ancient bike enthusiasts. They wore old style attire and shoes too. I saw these bikes only on old pictures before, I couldn't believe my own eyes seeing them next to me. 🤩
I thought he was gonna stop at the top of the stairs, but when he went down them, I clenched up just watching.
truly a stairset of doom on that bike, better crack a monny first!
Yeah, that looked MAD sketchy.
@@Ferrari255GTO it's Seth. Mad sketch is his bread and butter
@@alexisrodriguez6526 i'd say that he's less sketchy than this most often
@@Ferrari255GTO nah dude... this is seriously the least sketch, he tried to ride a trail with 3d printed parts
I rode a big one once, I'm 6'1. The seat was right up against the neck and it was absolutely insane. I came from a fixed gear background (Messenger turned national level track rider) so that was ok. What was REALLY insane is that because the BB is also the axle, when you pedal forward it turns into the lead foot slightly so it's weaving back and forth. Ok, that's a thing to get used to BUT when you're breaking it reverses that effect! All of a sudden you're into this groove of counter steering into your pedal strokes and feeling ok, then you go to slow down and the bike violently swerves in the direction of your trailing foot! On the one I rode, the seat height was probably 5'6 or more so bailing off wasn't really an option! Cool experience but 10/10 never again.
Seth you should collab with Sam Pilgrim in berm peak or somewhere else. It would be sick to see the two biggest and best mtb channels in the same video
Pretty sure they already made a video At whistler
@@EverythingMTB1 Still be really cool if Sam Pilgrim went to Berm Peak one day
Didn't Seth just recently rehab from the last injury?
@@EverythingMTB1 I remember Seth meeting up with Blake from GMBN. Don't remember Pilgs being in it.
It would be cool to see Sam take on the sketchiness that is Berm Peak though.
@@dvs620 THE DREAM!
It reassures me that even back then they considered it dangerous. Looking at pictures of those giant wheels when I was a kid, I couldn't imagine how someone would comfortably ride them like it's nothing : D
Most pictures are deceiving.
@@nc3826but not these pictures!
The list of things done, said, written, and researched well in this video seems almost endless. It's an extremely engaging bit of bike-related "content," enjoyable to anyone who's ridden a bike (so most people) but also and especially for enthusiasts. Love the MTB-specific stuff, but this was a truly excellent video.
So true! I've seen a lot of videos about the Penny Farthing, but Seth's take was as usual the best mix of entertaining and educational.
It took me a while to figure out you said engaging rather than enraging
It wasnt researched at All
@@Mike-tv9rk making claims with zero backing. 😑
joshuatatro, there is almost NOTHING in this video that is well written or researched. This is easily the WORST, least accurate "penny farthing" video on TH-cam. The presenter gets more wrong than right, and with good information available, that is inexcusable. Then, the guy spends most of the video on a "funny bike", intended to be a novelty thing, which besides superficial shape similarity to the subject matter, is really a very different machine. This video is an embarrassment.
I once rode a tandem bike where the rider in back was actually facing backward while pedaling. I"d like to see a video of that.
Tandems in general would be cool to see Seth cover.
That clip of the race is from the High Wheel Bike Race held every July in Frederick, MD. It is the only high wheel bike race held in the USA. It is awesome. There are not always crashes, but occasionally happen.
Clustered Spires is an absolute riot! I went a few years back and it's such a great time
Just saw this, Greg LeMond was there one year.
Repent of sin and Trust in Jesus!
John 14:6
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Matthew 7:13-23
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?
17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.
18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
John 3:16-21
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.
21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.
-
Like getting body slammed from the top rope i’d imagine, gosh
I got to ride a replica penny-farthing a few times. When I went down a hill, I stood on the mounting step and scuffed one foot on the back wheel. It made sense to me, but I've never heard of it elsewhere.
Having ridden one of the massive ones I can confirm they are a blast.
I rode one of these as a kid, the most difficult part by far was getting up on it without falling over!
I wish penny farthings and recumbents were both more common.
TheDoh007 So if you were a kid it was a small one like the one in this video?
Thank you for confirming suspicions I've had since I was a child.
I remember reading that guys used to basically do the old bmx bar-hop (swing their feet forward over the bars) when going downhill so when they inevitably crashed, they could just jump forward instead of tangling their knees in the bars. Of course, this meant their feet were off the pedals so there was no real speed control aside from a rear brake or maybe the spoon-style friction brake on the front wheel. Insane.
There's a chap who's done around the world rides on a penny and he goes that while dropping into death valley. Joff Somerfield.
I wonder if you could design it where instead of handlebars going out to the sides, there a single steering lever going straight forward. That way, your legs could naturally swing past.
@@CalmoOmlac Some recumbent bikes use a tiller style steering , which is a bit like a reversed stem .
@@CalmoOmlac Thanks for the correction. I too have many bikes but my recumbents are trikes.
@@kudosbudoEd Pratt - his unicycle round the world video series on TH-cam is one of the best sets of videos you can find
3:55 gnarly? That one dude just literally ran over the other dude!
I dont know why but watching someone ride a penny farthing is just delightful.
0:19 The reason we say handle*bars*. Great vid, thanks Seth!
I have a 56" Victory Highwheel, and believe me, the 2 variations you have are way off on how they were made. The backbone is supposed to taper, and the fork assembly is one piece. The back wheel actually tucks in a little below the front wheel - about 2-3 inches for compactness. The tires are solid rubber with a wire through it that tightens around the rim. The front tire is thicker than the back, and the spokes are wired and soldered where they intersect on the front wheel. There is a spoon brake that is a lever on the handlebar that pushes a spoon right on the tire - not an effective brake itself, but it makes going down hills a tiny bit easier on your legs. I have ridden this bicycle on smooth undulating singletrack, and yes, you ride it on rougher terrain if you have strong legs and good balance - just be sure to keep you weight back when you hit bumps, or even "ride the step" (you get off the saddle and coast with one foot on the step-up) Like you discovered, it's a really comfortable ride. I do commute on my highwheel to the grocery store and amongst traffic. I have to plan my stops and time the lights, and be mindful that it's hard to start uphill, and steep downhills with stop signs or traffic lights be very cautious, and make sure you are fit enough to control the bicycle safely. Cars DO see you, so visibility is not much of an issue, plus you have a fantastic view way up there.
Worked at a little bike shop for awhile and we had this full sized reproduction, not the scaled down version Seth is riding. This big old dude saw it propped up outside and really wanted to ride it. He was fascinated but being kind of a dick about it because I initially told him no. (I knew how sketchy they were). But he wouldn’t relent so I was like, alright, good luck man. These bike have a step and you have to do a firm little scooter push to get up on the seat and have enough momentum to get your feet on the pedals and keep it upright. And then you’re up there surprisingly high. Dude foisted it himself up fine but had just enough speed to turn the cranks once, twice then absolutely toppled over like a shit ton of bricks, feet on the pedals all the way down and when his hip impacted the cement I could feel the slab shake. He limped away not saying another word and I think that was probably the last time he asked anyone for permission to ride a Penny Farthing.
Oof. Ouch even.
Served him right
David-du5vk, it is really stupid & careless to let clearly unqualified people try to ride these, at least without them first signing a liability waiver. People can get badly hurt, and then they will sue you, or your shop, or whatever.
I give highwheel bike riding lessons, always after a legal waiver is signed, always in an open, level paved area like an empty parking lot, always with the new rider wearing equestrian helmet, knee pads and leather padded gloves. And I don't let people on the bike if they don't have a suitable leg length for the size of wheel. And THEN, I work them up to it a bit at a time, not just handing them the bike and letting them go at it.
That trail footage was terrifying.
4:19 "There are a few things about its construction that make it better than a lot of modern bikes". If you pass someone on the street and overhear that sentence - your neighbourhood is about to be gentrified. Get used to eating coco-pops out of a vintage speaker enclosure when you go out for dinner.
This video is so fun. I literally lol'ed over the "fish hook as a children's toy' bit.
Love it! "Taking a header" was coined from the Penny Farthing (pun intended!) era.
I've ridden a "Rideable Replica" and was blown away at how much flex & turning happens while pedaling. It's all over the place! Definitely take getting used to. And the "don't slow down too fast" worry is always hanging over your head (literally!!!).
The extreme mullet😂
So, this year on the Downhill world championship i'll be running the new -3" rims on the rear with the new tyres from my sponsor Schwalbe, the Magic Mini DH Tubeless tyres on the ultrasoft compound....
@@Ferrari255GTO bet it roles faster than those 27.5 that they ride
@@leepik6027 no shit, there'd be no contact patch. You'd also trip on a pebble and die XD
"when a fish hook was a suitible child's toy"... That was worth the price of admission right there
Please make a follow up video about taking this to the local trails wearing normal attire from the 1860s. Bonus points if you can keep the Monocle in your eye all the way to the bottom.
I really find it fascinating that they ever thought that thing was a good idea. How was it even designed without anyone saying "what if it was balanced a bit better?"
It solves a problem that no longer exists thanks to better infrastructure and more advanced technology. It's like looking at an old car that's basically a death trap compared to modern vehicles, "how could anyone ride in these?"
@@AirLancer well yeah but thats because they didnt understand electricity back then and how to make airbags
wagons and carriages had evenly sized wheels for centuries before the first bike, yet they thought "what if we made like a tiny wagon for one person to power with their feet... and what if the wheels were DRASTICALLY different sizes for NO reason"
@@shybandit521many of the first cars were electric. On the high wheeler you don't require a chain and it has very few moving parts so it's no wonder it predates bikes with chains and gears.
@@timlewis5527 that's true, i should have specified "they don't have as sophisticated of an understanding how to make and use it efficiently like we do now"
Also yeah you're right I guess the chains and gears system is pretty innovative and I can see why it took them time to develop it
@@shybandit521 Lots of carriages had rear wheels 50% larger than the front.
at first i was like no way he just wanted to do a farthing bc sams did so good. but i love the fact you name dropped him specifically. youre a good dude
farthing video*
I love it Seth. A little bit of history, little bit of weerdness, historical dead ends. Really cool. Would love to see more of these...
I really enjoy this kind of video. If you do end up doing a deep dive on unicycles I would absolutely watch it and enjoy
One of the best channels on TH-cam. No politics and no 🐂. Just interesting and informative content.
If you ever find yourself in western Ohio I would highly recommend the Bicycle museum of America in New Bremen. It's a tiny town but the museum was very interesting.
About the alignment thing you mention. Much less of a problem on a large size Penny Farthing. But the most common construction i've seen it's actually the frame that is hinged from the fork/handlabar which is a solid unit, so it's not gonna move out of alignment.
Waiting for the Seth vs. Sam Pilgrim penny-farthing free ride competition 🔥
That'd be lit ngl
The real reason for the large front wheel wasn't for absorbing road bumps. It had to do with pedal ratio. With a large wheel (with the pedal crank mounted directly on the wheel) you didn't have to pedal as fast to get good speed. Before the high wheel, bicycles still had the crank on the front wheel, but the wheel was smaller, and cyclists found they had to pedal quite fast just to obtain a decent clip of speed. Their solution was to make the front wheel larger. Of course that had its draw backs, like the ones you mentioned. I imagine there were quite a few head injuries back in the day.
And the development of the roller chain and sprockets allowed for gearing, which solved that problem.
How do you just keep getting better? Thanks for another really well written and presented video!
What got me to watch this video was the penny-farthing's association with The Prisoner. That's the music that goes through my head when I see one of those bikes.
Be seeing you!
State of the art technology in the 1800s:
The penny farthing
Also:
A photocamera to take pictures of it.
The 19th Century had a massive amount of technological innovations we usually don't even think of. Baking soda for example was only discovered in 1801 and not factory produced until 1846. Before then, you always had to use traditional leavening agents (almost always yeasts) for baking.
You could even have taken a color photo by the end of the century, assuming you were willing to DIY it.
“As for its performance on Mtb trails…”
Wow how did I know that was coming 😂
You should get a lay-down bike, super arodynamic and if they have a wind cover you can reach high speeds for a long time! Would love to see you pov on it!
Guess where he would ride it.
Recumbent?
Recumbent mountain bikes do exist.
The Penny Farthing was called The Standard. Its riders were called Wheelmen. They considered The Safety to be a pale substitute and greatly lamented its ascendency. The Wheelmen roamed Victorian parks towering above pedestrians who didn’t have the wherewithall to manage such an exclusive machine. Of course the term “header” was invented for the accident that would occur when you hit an obstacle and your wheel stopped, you kept going and at the same time your knees were trapped under the handlebars. If you had to design a mechanism to give headers you couldn’t do better then The Standard. You captured all of this. Great video.
What if you put an internal-gear hub on it?
Since when did Seth’s channel become a history channel… I like it!
A video on the history of mountain biking would be rad. I'd love to hear it from your perspective.
That would be interesting, although it would likely end up being the story of "Clunkers", "Repack" and the famous Marin County mountain bikers. But that wasn't where "all terrain" bicyles started, it's just where one group caught the imagination of several frame builders, and eventually a bicycle manufacturer. Not to diminish their huge global impact on cycling, but their focus was mainly on racing and downhill thrills. Riding specialist and bespoke bikes UP and DOWN mountains and on cross country expeditions etc was already a thing... just on a small scale.
The moment you took that on a mountain bike trail, my anxiety shot through the ceiling. I felt like I just accidentally found snuff.
Awesome video, ;earned some cool things. Going to refer to modern bikes as safety bikes from time to time.
It's just a unicycle with a training wheel
It's awesome you're able to actually demonstrate what going over the handlebars looks like. Going down those stairs looked sketchy as hell too. lol
I saw a penny farthing bicycle in a museum once which had a rudimentary brake; it consisted of a spoon-shaped, hand lever activated device which could be presssd against the front tire.
Fun fact: In Norwegian the Penny Farthing is called a "Veltepetter", which roughly translate to "Tip-over Peter".
You should add a Brompton to your freak bike/novelty bike fleet!!!! You'll love it!
Can you please make more bicycle historian type of videos? Maybe try and add in a bit of stock footage of people actually riding the things way back when. You do an excellent job of making this interesting and telling these stories.
I'd love to hear about the sketchy rides people in the early 1900s went on. Talk about some sketchy downhill races or something that people participated in. Would be a nice new, unique spin on your channel. I think a lot of us here are bike nerds.
There was a journalist named Stevens who rode a high wheeler around the world in the 18th century, the book is a great read... I was amazed by how well he could ride over bad roads and even open terrain and fields....
I love the tiny wheel way at the end of that long curving pipe.
It’s straight out amid a Dr. Seuss illustration!
I ride my 52” hiwheel more than any of my other bikes. Descending is sketchy but climbing is not that bad. I’ve even got videos of my climbing the golden gate in them.
1893 came the patent on pedersen bicycle as the first bicycle with the same size on front and backweel, they manufacture it still in copenhagen at copenhagen bike factory.
Thanks for great content!
I wonder if suspension would work on a penny farthing
I wanna see sam pilgrim modify his brand new fox 40 forks to fit this bike and shred it
it would, but your leg length would vary so it wouldn't be too practical. I want to see a penny farthing with a LEFTY fork
Yes seen it done. Custom downhill penny-farthing had front and rear squish. It was as bonkers as it sounds.
This is literally the first thing i thought of, a huge ass downhill fork modified to fit 40" rims on a highwheel
@@Ferrari255GTO I would think one of these things would have to be modified with a lot more slack on the front for any sort of downhill.
Hey Seth, love everything you do. I know you have plenty of ideas coming down the pipeline. But id love to see you revisiting some of those products that were sent in over the year past that you actually still use and love? Thanks for everything, and continuing to motivate us.
Two history notes ( I hope they are redundant) : I think this first is from a collection of historical rides from BICYCLING magazine that I encountered while preparing for my solo trip around the world with a bicycle: the first clearly documented bicycle trip around the world in 1864 +/- was on a penny farthing. The second is a book I was given in Wales: AROUND THE WORLD ON A WHEEL - Three Englishmen on safety bicycles 1894-1896 (2years & 6weeks). They started following the newly completed London to Calcutta telegraph line.
1:46 THANK YOU for giving the adjusted for inflation price! So many other people would just be like "it cost $10" and give no further info despite the fact we are talking more than a century ago.
I learned so much about the history of bicycles when I visited the Marin Museum in Fairfax, CA. Super fun and the staff were awesome and gave me a personal tour and history lesson, I highly recommend (FYI, I’m from Halifax, NS.)
You sure know your stuff! The most amusing scenes of a lot of penny farthing being ridden was the 1967 movie "Those Fantastic Flying Fools" where actress Dalilah Lavi got on one to go try and get a message to someone! Haha!
That wheel was way too small for you.
This guys a professional. The amount of heavy breathing I would have been doing while trying to talk to the camera whilst riding.
flat top chain @0:07 😂🤣
I cannot fathom the severity and number of serious accidents caused by the Penny Farthing. Very dangerous bikes. Thanks for the backstory and the interesting video.
It’s been so long since I last saw a Penny Farthing bike. Last time I saw one was when I was 5 back in 2002. The man had a vintage 1950’s replica of his grandad’s 1870’s original which I just thought was the most adorable thing. So much so that it’s a memory that’s stuck with me.
Clearly these bikes were loved despite their flaws.
I desperately wanna see a Penny Swing Bike!!!!!!
That's called a death wish 😂
@@luke_said I mean…. So are a lot of Seth’s ideas lol
Man. the moment you were approaching those stairs I got quite startled.. LOL
2:10 Todays equivalent is electric bicycle 5k not much use or value for money and a hobby for the rich, you could buy a vehicle for 5k
So it's a 'safety unicycle' 🤣
Thank you for taking that tumble over the bars for that braking example, true dedication 😂.
I spit my coffee out as you were riding down those stairs xD
At first i was a little disappointed that he didn't ride the big wheel, but then my jaw dropped at showing the dangers with this bike 😮 Thumbs up for the dedication 👍
I’m from Frederick MD! I love watching the Penny farthing race every year! I’ve even considered racing it! But the crashes are real and super common when racing such a wild bike.
My family owns a collection of original penny-farthings and we often travel around to ride them at shows and various historical events. They're very unstable compared to modern recreations, and we like to call them "danger bikes" as opposed to the "safety bikes" that succeeded them.
This man putting his life on the line for bicycle education was an unexpected delight in an already great video.
"Let's take this on a mountain bike trail!"
Seth still has front teeth ... lucky bastard! ;)
Wonderful history-comes-alive video. 😃👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
I have a similar Penny Farthing to Seth's, and can confirm they are both a unique experience and great fun. But, with a smallish front wheel, definitely not fast. 😁
Back a few years when New Belgium Brewing company still had the Tour de Fat, they had a weird bike corral that was open to the public. There was always a couple different versions of these. So much fun, especially after a couple brews. So many different bikes to ride. It was really fun and good.
Thanks to the "Wright Brothers" as they started off making, repairing & renting bicycles, then of course invented the first airplane or rather that Glider "thing-a-ma-jig" contraption at Kitty Hawk, NC in 1903..... I visited the museum there in 2012, really cool place.
Saw a video of a bloke on one of these going down Pikes Peak. Had a massive catastrophic failure of the front wheel and a huge crash. I had plenty of spills off pushbikes when I was young but I still feel that crash even though it didn't happen to me.
My uncle used to collect them and do restorations on them, bought and sold parts etc. I never saw him ride one though. My dad was at his shop back in the 1960's and decided he was going to ride one. Within about 15 minutes my aunt was calling my mom to come get him and take him to the doctor because he broke his arm. Back then ambulances and emergency rooms were for when you got "bad hurt" lmao
1:46 5k James Starley is tripen frfr
"So, you don't like the old-time bikes, eh?" (kick to the face)
I do love the name, "Penny Farthing." So descriptive of the machine; yet, quaint, too. 🚲
There's a reason you're one of the best Seth
Seth, your always up for a challenge, how about you build a MTB Penny Farthing (add an old 3 speed internal hub - disk brake to counteract the free spool) 😜
In Norway the penny-farthing was called "tumbling Peter" (veltepetter)
Well I am just seeing this. I want to say it was very well done and the host rather clever.
The greatest film segment of a penny farthing in use is Passepartout's ride through London in the original Around the World in 80 Days. Especially when seen in cinerama.
My favorite part of this video was you crediting Sam Pilgrim. Much respect for that. Today is gonna be epic BECAUSE Seth is riding a Penny Farthing!! Love it.
And mainly for having longer legs 😂
I love how the modern one looks like a unicycle with a training wheel 😊
Its always great when Seth talks about his childhood 😂
Ah dude so cool to see you have a unicycle too! I've been itching to get mine out again.
I'm not big into biking but your videos are always entertaining.
I remember seeing the penny farthing segment of the jackass 2 movie and thinking those spills looked brutal. Cool to hear the mechanics behind what makes these bikes so sketchy