Market: The small Swedish manufacturer Standard Highwheels was founded in 2013 and is the only forge that still makes high wheels today. Even if the scene is small, it consists almost exclusively of lovers - at least at Standard they firmly believe in their own success. We stopped by the stand at the Berlin Bicycle Show.
Penny-farthings - some will not be able to imagine anything under the term, others may know the seemingly exotic monsters from old photos, a few may have already seen one of these bikes in person. Very few will ever have sat down on one of the more than 50″ bikes, let alone competed in a race. But even if the scene of penny-farthing lovers is manageable, it consists to a large extent of real fans, who often take on large expenditures, in terms of time and money, in order to be able to call such a bike their own.
Most of the penny farthings are either self-made or extensively restored original models from before 1900. The Swedish manufacturer Standard Highwheels is the only manufacturer who is producing new penny fares - at reasonable prices. While self-made or restored vintage cars often break the €5.000 mark, prices for the standard penny farthings start at €1.250
Basically, a penny farthing consists of similar components as a modern bicycle - at least they often have the same name. Of course, the oversized fork, which has to offer space for the front wheel (up to 56″), dominates. The steel frame hugs this bike and ends near the ground in the rear fork, in which the small rear wheel rotates. The drive takes place directly on the front wheel, without switching, without translation, without freewheel. This makes driving a real challenge, especially at high speeds: in penny-farthing races, speeds of 40 km/h and more are often reached, which also corresponds to a cadence of over 150 rpm.
The size of the front wheel is primarily dependent on the size of the rider and varies from 48″ to 56″ – the corresponding tires are made of solid rubber like “in the good old days”. Handlebars, saddle, cranks, hubs - actually all components on the high wheels are custom-made and are manufactured by Standard Highwheels in Sweden. Of course, there are also matching accessories such as vintage saddlebags. In general, the overall construction was based on the original high wheels from the end of the 19th century, although of course some modern components such as hollow aluminum rims were used.
Now one or the other may doubtless ask for what purpose and for whom these bikes are produced. But the rush at the stand at the Berlin Bicycle Show was confirmation enough for the gentlemen from Standard Highwheels that they struck a chord with their exotic bikes. The Swedes are convinced of their project anyway and firmly believe in its success - maybe they can even bring about a small revival and we will see more penny-farthing races - also in this country? The event during the bicycle show was more of an exception, but such races are enjoying growing popularity, especially in England.
If you are now interested in penny farthings, we recommend the official website of the Swedes. There is not only plenty of information about the bikes, but also about the scene, history and events involving penny-farthings.