The Penny Farthing was the sketchiest bicycle ever made

The Penny Farthing was the bicycle that immediately preceded the "safety bicycle", which is in most ways exactly what we have today. Today we'll talk about the Penny Farthing, why we rarely see them anymore, and why they were so sketchy.

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Thanks to the Little Congress Bicycle Museum
807 Llewelyn St, Cumberland Gap, TN 37724

Penny Farthing Crash Clip

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[WeekendPirate]

Imagine being on a peaceful mountain bike ride and you see Seth on a high wheel bombing down the trails

[rickbiessman]

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. 😀

[lagradylagrady]

The absolute dedication to the bit of riding obscene bikes down trails they weren't made for is always educational.

[r.awilliams]

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.

[jakemartinez]

3:29 😂 he didn’t have to sacrifice himself to demonstrate what would happen but as a visual learner… I appreciate that he did.

[awhite]

Makes you fully realise what a game changing innovation the Safety Bicycle was. Surely one of the best inventions since the wheel.

[Kirkbravo]

I thought he was gonna stop at the top of the stairs, but when he went down them, I clenched up just watching.

[rbisme]

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.

[Lautere]

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

[David-duvk]

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.

[sergeikuznetsov]

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. 🤩

[felixmervamee]

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

[joshuatatro]

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.

[mikem]

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.

[bennyb.]

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.

[ChrisHY]

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.

[psyclemania]

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.

[HGShurtugal]

It's just a unicycle with a training wheel

[duckiedale]

Having ridden one of the massive ones I can confirm they are a blast.

[brianward]

3:55 gnarly? That one dude just literally ran over the other dude!