Editing Penny-farthing (section)

== History ==
{{Main|History of the bicycle#1870s: the high-wheel bicycle}}

=== Origins and development ===
[[File:Cover - The Modern Bicycle (1877), cover - BL.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Book cover of ''The Modern Bicycle'', published in London in 1877]]
Eugène Meyer of [[Paris]] is now regarded as the father of the high bicycle<ref name = "Hadland"/> by the [[International Cycling History Conference]] in place of [[James Starley]]. Meyer patented a [[wire wheel|wire-spoke tension wheel]] with individually adjustable spokes in 1869.<ref name=Herlihy/> They were called "spider" wheels in Britain when introduced there.<ref name=Herlihy/> Meyer produced a classic high bicycle design during the 1880s.

James Starley in [[Coventry]] added the tangent [[spokes]]<ref name=Herlihy/> and the mounting step to his famous bicycle named "Ariel". He is regarded as the father of the British cycling industry. [[Ball bearing]]s, [[Bicycle tire#Solid|solid rubber tires]] and hollow-section steel frames became standard, reducing weight and making the ride much smoother.<ref name=Herlihy/>

Penny-farthing bicycles are dangerous because of the risk of headers (taking a fall over the handlebars head-first). Makers developed [[Bicycle handlebar#Moustache|"moustache"]] handlebars, allowing the rider's knees to clear them,<ref name="Norcliffe">{{cite book
| last = Norcliffe
| first = Glenn
| title = Ride to Modernity: The Bicycle in Canada, 1869-1900
| publisher = University of Toronto Press
| year = 2006
| page = 52
| isbn = 978-0-8020-8205-3}}</ref> "Whatton" handlebars that wrapped around behind the legs,<ref name="Wilson" /> and ultimately (though too late, after development of the safety bicycle), the American "Eagle" and [[American Star Bicycle|"Star"]] bicycles, whose large and small wheels were reversed.<ref name="Norcliffe, p.53">Norcliffe, p.53.</ref><ref>{{cite web
 |url         = http://www.oldspokeshome.com/hb-smith-co-42-pony-star-smithville-nj-1889
 |title       = Old Spokes Home: 1889 Special Pony Star
 |access-date  = 2010-01-05
 |url-status  = dead
 |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20101010141419/http://oldspokeshome.com/hb-smith-co-42-pony-star-smithville-nj-1889
 |archive-date = 2010-10-10
}}</ref> This prevented headers but left the danger of being thrown backwards when riding uphill. Other attempts included moving the seat rearward and driving the wheel by levers or [[treadle bicycle|treadles]], as in the "Xtraordinary" <!-- This is the correct spelling, don't change it. -->and "Facile",<ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.oldspokeshome.com/ellis-and-co-40-%E2%80%9Cfacile%E2%80%9D-1884
| title = Old Spokes Home: 1884 "Facile" Highwheel Safety 40" by Beale and Straw
| access-date = 2010-01-05
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101010150852/http://oldspokeshome.com/ellis-and-co-40-%E2%80%9Cfacile%E2%80%9D-1884
| archive-date = 2010-10-10
| url-status = dead
}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://www.oldspokeshome.com/about-osh
| title = Old Spokes Home: 1885 Xtraordinary Challenge 50" wheel by Singer
| access-date = 2010-01-05
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151108013824/http://oldspokeshome.com/about-osh
| archive-date = 2015-11-08
| url-status = dead
}}</ref> or gears, by chain as in the "Kangaroo" or at the hub, as in the "Crypto";<ref name="Norcliffe, p.53"/> another option was to move the seat well back, as in the "Rational".<ref name="Norcliffe, p.53"/><ref>{{cite book
| title = Bicycles & Tricycles, A Classical Treatise on Their Design and Construction
| last = Sharp
| first = Archibald
| publisher = Courier Dover Publications
| year = 2003
| isbn = 978-0-486-42987-8}}</ref>

Even so, bicycling remained the province of the urban well-to-do, and mainly men, until the 1890s,<ref>Norcliffe, pp.31-2 & 124.</ref> and was a salient example of [[conspicuous consumption]].<ref>Norcliffe, pp.31-2, 35, 124, & 243-6.</ref>
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=== Attributes ===
[[File:A man with a Penny-farthing bicycle - Ladybank, Scotland c.1880.jpg|thumb|right|140px|Man standing next to a penny farthing in Fife, Scotland, 1880]]

The penny-farthing used a larger wheel than the [[velocipede]], thus giving higher speeds on all but the steepest hills. In addition, the large wheel gave a smoother ride,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sheldonbrown.com/brandt/ideal-tire-size.html|title=Ideal Tire Sizes | last = Brown
| first = Sheldon |author-link=Sheldon Brown (bicycle mechanic) |access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref> important before the invention of [[Bicycle tire|pneumatic tires]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_sa-o.html#safety |title=Safety Bicycle| last = Brown
| first = Sheldon |author-link=Sheldon Brown (bicycle mechanic) |access-date=2018-11-27}}</ref>

An attribute of the penny-farthing is that the rider sits above the front axle. When the wheel strikes rocks and ruts, or under hard braking, the rider can be pitched forward off the bicycle head-first. Headers were relatively common and a significant, sometimes fatal, hazard. Riders coasting down hills often took their feet off the pedals and put them over the tops of the handlebars, so they would be pitched off feet-first instead of head-first.<ref name="Wilson">{{cite book
| title = Bicycling Science
| url = https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780262731546
| url-access = registration
| edition = Third
| last = Wilson
| first = David Gordon
|author2=Jim Papadopoulos
| year = 2004
| publisher = The MIT Press
| page = [https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780262731546/page/22 22]
| quote = Whatton bars were handlebars that came under the legs from behind, so that in the event of a pitch forward the rider could land feet first.
| isbn = 0-262-73154-1}}</ref>

Penny-farthing bicycles often used similar materials and construction as earlier velocipedes: cast iron frames, solid rubber tires, and [[plain bearing]]s for pedals, steering, and wheels. They were often quite durable and required little service. For example, when cyclist [[Thomas Stevens (cyclist)|Thomas Stevens]] rode around the world in the 1880s, he reported only one significant mechanical problem in over {{convert|20000|km|mile}}, caused when the local military confiscated his bicycle and damaged the front wheel.

=== End of an era ===

The well-known dangers of the penny-farthing<ref>{{cite book
 | last = Herlihy
 | first = David V.
 | title = Bicycle: the History
 | publisher = Yale University Press
 | year = 2004
 | page = [https://archive.org/details/bicyclehistory0000herl/page/226 226]
 | url = https://archive.org/details/bicyclehistory0000herl/page/226
 | isbn = 0-300-10418-9
}}</ref> were, for the time of its prominence, outweighed by its strengths. While it was a difficult, dangerous machine, it was simpler, lighter, and faster than the safer velocipedes of the time. Two new developments changed this situation, and led to the rise of the [[safety bicycle]]. The first was the [[chain drive]], originally used on [[tricycle]]s, allowing a [[gear ratio]] to be chosen independent of the wheel size. The second was the pneumatic [[bicycle tire]], allowing smaller wheels to provide a smooth ride.
[[File:L-Hochrad.png|thumb|left|An 1880 penny-farthing (left), and the first modern bicycle, [[John Kemp Starley|J. K. Starley]]'s 1885 [[Rover Company#Before cars|Rover]] [[safety bicycle]] (right)]]
The nephew of one of the men responsible for popularity of the penny-farthing was largely responsible for its demise. James Starley had built the Ariel (spirit of the air)<ref name="Mirco">{{cite book
| last = De Cet
| first = Mirco
| title = The Complete Encyclopedia of Classic Motorcycles
| editor = Quentin Daniel
| publisher = Rebo International
| year = 2005
| isbn = 978-90-366-1497-9
}}</ref> high-wheeler in 1870; but this was a time of innovation, and when [[chain drive]]s were upgraded so that each link had a small [[roller chain|roller]], higher and higher speeds became possible without the need for a large front wheel.

In 1885, Starley's nephew [[John Kemp Starley]] took these new developments to launch the modern bicycle, the [[Rover Company#Before cars|Rover]] [[safety bicycle]], so-called because the rider, seated much lower and farther behind the front wheel contact point, was less prone to a header.<ref name=Herlihy/><ref>{{cite news|title=Cycle market: Moving into the fast lane|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/cycle-market-moving-into-the-fast-lane-1702191.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220525/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/cycle-market-moving-into-the-fast-lane-1702191.html |archive-date=2022-05-25 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live|agency=The Independent|date=26 February 2018}}</ref>

In 1888, when [[John Boyd Dunlop|John Dunlop]] re-invented the pneumatic tire for his son's tricycle, the high wheel was made obsolete. The comfortable ride once found only on tall wheels could now be enjoyed on smaller chain-driven bicycles. By 1893, high-wheelers were no longer being produced.<ref name="Brown"/> Use lingered into the 1920s in [[track cycling]] until racing safety bicycles were adequately designed.

=== Modern usage ===
[[File:Höghjuling - Ystad-2020.jpg|thumb|right|Two highwheel cyclists at a press conference in [[Ystad]] ahead of the "Sweden 3 Days Highwheel Race" 2020.]]Today, enthusiasts ride restored penny-farthings, and a few manufacturers build new ones with modern materials.<ref>{{cite news
| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/frederick-hosts-high-wheel-bike-race/2012/08/19/c295e334-ea2b-11e1-a80b-9f898562d010_story.html
| title = Frederick hosts high-wheel bike race
| author = Tomi Obaro
| date = August 19, 2012
| newspaper = [[The Washington Post]]
| quote = An original can cost $29,000, a well-made replica $4,000 to $5,000; cheaper, newer examples can be had for less than $1,000.
| access-date = 2012-09-10}}</ref> Manufacturers include Richards of England (Hull, UK), Rideable Bicycle Replicas (US), Trott & Sons (UK) and UDC (Taiwan).<ref>{{cite web |last1=Terrence |first1=Houlahan |title=Buying a Penny-Farthing |url=http://www.penny-farthing.org/equip-buy-pennyfarthing/ |website=Penny-Farthing.org |publisher=Terrence Houlahan |access-date=6 July 2024}}</ref> One of these manufacturers, UDC Penny Farthings, the largest penny-farthing retailer in the United Kingdom, recorded record sales of penny-farthings in 2020 during the [[COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom|COVID-19 lockdown]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Butterworth |first=Benjamin |date=2021-01-12 |title=Sales of penny-farthings double in a year as the Victorian bike enjoys lockdown revival |url=https://inews.co.uk/news/consumer/penny-farthings-lockdown-sales-surge-demand-doubles-827047 |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=inews.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

The Penny Farthing Club is a [[cycling club]] that was founded in 2013 by Neil Laughton. The club offers rider training, bike tours of London and other UK cities, and hosts club events such as [[Cycle polo|penny-farthing polo]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Home |url=https://pennyfarthingclub.com/ |access-date=2022-09-03 |website=Penny Farthing Club |language=en-US}}</ref>

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