penny-farthing

bicycle

Also known as: ordinary

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Last updated

July 1, 2026

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The penny-farthing was a type of bicycle popular from the 1870s to the 1890s. It was characterized by a very large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel. This design, with pedals directly attached to the front wheel hub, allowed for greater speed as a larger wheel covered more distance with each pedal rotation. The term "penny-farthing" originated in Britain, comparing the large front wheel to a penny coin and the small rear wheel to a farthing coin.12

These bicycles, also known as "ordinaries" or "hi-wheels," were expensive and considered dangerous due to the rider's high position over the front wheel, making falls common. Despite their risks, they were instrumental in the development of cycling as a sport.23

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velocipede
…finally, in the ordinary, or penny-farthing, bicycle, the wheel would just go under the crotch of the rider. The “penny-farthing” nickname came from the smallest and largest British coins of the time, in reference to the disparity in the size of the wheels. By the second half of the 20th…
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…finally, in the ordinary, or penny-farthing, bicycle, the wheel would just go under the crotch of the rider. The “penny-farthing” nickname came from the smallest and largest British coins of the time, in reference to the disparity in the size of the wheels. By the second half of the 20th…
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bicycle
The ordinary bicycle
…by the 1890s the term penny-farthing had come into use as a pejorative, comparing the front wheel to the large British penny and the rear wheel to the much smaller farthing (quarter-penny). Ordinaries typically weighed about 40 pounds (18 kg), but track-racing models could weigh as little as 16 pounds…
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…by the 1890s the term penny-farthing had come into use as a pejorative, comparing the front wheel to the large British penny and the rear wheel to the much smaller farthing (quarter-penny). Ordinaries typically weighed about 40 pounds (18 kg), but track-racing models could weigh as little as 16 pounds…
Read More