Penny farthing bicycle race - video

[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