1887 Columbia Expert
1887 Columbia Expert
Is it any wonder that the high-wheel bicycle became such an icon?
Beautiful machines like this one have represented both progress and antiquity over the past 125 years.
Penny-farthings are an easily recognizable symbol for “bicycle”. A lot of bike shop signs (probably spelled “Bicycle Shoppe”) feature high wheelers. Store advertisements, historic town districts, and corporate logos often use them to signify antiquity or historical heritage . Microsoft’s home of Redmond Washington identifies itself with a Penny Farthing on the city signage. That creepy village in The Prisoner T.V. series had these bikes all over the place.
To mount one of these, you used the little step just above the rear wheel and hopped up onto the saddle. The large wheel and strong gyroscopic effect actually made these pretty easy to ride around on, as long as you paid attention. To stop, you would slow the pedals with your feet while pressing the spoon brake into the tire. High speeds and descents were pretty scary. With your center of mass high above the front wheel, an unexpected pothole could easily send you over the handlebars.
Why ride a high-wheel bike? Well, at the time it was simpler, lighter, and faster than bikes with smaller same-size wheels. The large wheel rode over cobblestones and road bumps more smoothly than smaller wheels (remember, in the 1800’s hard rubber or metal “tires” had no air in them). Velocipedes of all sizes were direct-drive in this era, so the only way to make the bike faster was to make the driving wheel larger (you were only limited by a rider’s leg length).
Pull the handle and the spoon slows the wheel
The pedals could be moved to fit the rider better
Beautiful wooden pedals
Note the step just above the wheel.
The saddle looks pretty comfortable
Patent numbers on the head tube
These dinosaurs went extinct with the development of three great leaps in technology. First, chain-driven bicycles made gear ratios possible, so you could get more speed without changing the wheel size. Second, the development of roller chains made the pedaling action of safety bikes smooth and efficient. Lastly, pneumatic tires made it so that small-wheeled bikes could float above the road bumps in cushioned comfort.