Editing Penny-farthing (section)

=== 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.