Penny farthing bicycle race - video

[Altair]

Penny farthing bicycle race.

Previously:

1908 London Summer Olympic Games - GIF
1930s family bicycle - photo
1946 Bowden Spacelander bicycle - photo
WWI Herrenrad Victoria bicycle with spring wheels - photo
Making a wooden bicycle - GIF

[Frank S]

those boys were booking, Just imagine how fast they could have gone with a step-up transmission in the hub

[hemmjo]

those boys were booking, Just imagine how fast they could have gone with a step-up transmission in the hub

I used to have a bicycle with a 2 speed hub. As I recall, I would pedal normally, then stop and pedal backward but not enough to engage the brake, then pedal forward again in a higher gear. I do not recall how I would know what gear it was in when starting out.

This was before a started taking things apart. I have always wondered what was inside that. It must have been planetary gears.

[Fluffle-Valve]

That was fantastic to watch. I've Never seen blokes racing on a Panny Fathing before. Looks like it'll hurt a lot if you fell off.

[Frank S]

I used to have a bicycle with a 2 speed hub. As I recall, I would pedal normally, then stop and pedal backward but not enough to engage the brake, then pedal forward again in a higher gear. I do not recall how I would know what gear it was in when starting out.

This was before a started taking things apart. I have always wondered what was inside that. It must have been planetary gears.

Sounds like it may have been a Swinn, but what I remember of mine was it had a twist grip on the handle bar with cable going into the axle, twist the grip and a slight back peddle to change the gears up or down

[Toolguy]

It doesn't take much at all to make you do a header off one of those. Then it's a long way to the ground at high velocity. A lot of people got hurt pretty bad crashing on those.