Editing Penny-farthing (section)

=== 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.