Penny-farthing: who wants to go for a ride on an ‘old tyme’ bicycle?!
A few weeks ago, Preston was driving along West River Drive / Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and saw something from the early 1900’s: an “olde tyme” bicycle, aka a Penny Farthing!
Hey, here are some fun facts about those bikes! #FunFacts
The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel, high wheeler and ordinary, is a type of bicycle with a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel. It was popular after the boneshaker until the development of the safety bicycle in the 1880s. It was the first machine to be called a “bicycle”.
They LOOK cool (kinda), but we’re not sure if we want to ride one or not. And if we did, Kathy says we definitely need to wear a helmet. Or protect ourselves in several layers of bubble wrap.
Today, we got a visit from Doylestown Bike Works and they attempted to show Preston and Kathy how to ride!
First up was Preston, and he did really well. So well, in fact, that he was even able to sing a song!
You can view the initial video on our Twitter page:
.@prestonelliot rode a penny farthing! Aren't you happy for him! pic.twitter.com/NNV5rkAWVK
— The Preston & Steve Show (@PrestonSteve933) July 18, 2017
Next up was Kathy and even though it was a mini Penny Farthing, she still did a great job!
Here’s THAT video on our Instagram page:
* See the FULL Photo Gallery HERE: Preston Learns to Ride the Pennyfarthering *
We can’t thank the guys from Doylestown Bike Works enough for taking time out of their day to come hang out with us.
Things you see on the highway on our way to see @PrestonSteve933 pic.twitter.com/XTXVzoK6rI
— Bike Works (@bikeworkspa) July 18, 2017
Are we ready? We’ll find out soon enough!
Looking forward to joining the crew @933WMMR and @PrestonSteve933 to teach Preston to ride the Pennyfarthing. Listen in at 9 AM! pic.twitter.com/7FDHW8mTn5
— Bike Works (@bikeworkspa) July 17, 2017
This crash video isn’t exactly giving us any additional confidence:
But if we ever DID want to try to ride one, here are some useful tips on how to do so: