I wonder if jamming a broom stick in the front wheel would flip ya or just bend the crap outta the spokes? Cool bike. I watched a guy ride one in person once. They take some getting used to, that's for sure.
An old Penny-Farthing. Pretty damn cool. Take a cane with you for when you stop. Top hat and tails completes the look
Yeah, the first bicycles to use the double diamond frame were called safety bikes because you didn't take a header and die when you hit something big enough to stop the front wheel.
Truck has killer stance! And I have ridden a highwheeler, it is not as scary as you think. You just have to COMMIT to the mount and dismount!
Like what? With the size of that front wheel I should think you´d be able to ride over a house without noticing.
I have a couple of these boneshakers, been riding them for years. They're a blast! I built one for my 9 yo son too. He rips on the thing. We go in parades and ride them around all the time. We get quite the looks. I'm looking for another one actually. Would be kill to have like six guys on em ripping around together! Yours looks like a Reliable make? -Shiny
The lug nuts one on both sides one is missing and the other one the threads started gaulding. I was going to replace but the bearings will have to pressed off of the axle so that will be a later project.
Cool bike! Being a old BMX racer from the early 80's I'd like to see someone try to ride backwords wheelies on that thing! It would kind of be like rideing a big unicycle.
I met a man in his late 70s (dressed in period for bike) going around the Cabot Trail (in Cape Breton, NS) on one of those things. That's 185 miles, btw of serious hills. Check it out http://www.cabottrail.com/ It's a beautiful place. Anyway... His wife was driving a support vehicle a LONG ways away (miles). It was neat to see the TALL bike rack on back of the car. Naturally everyone was stopping him and so did we. He said he wanted to do it while he still could. Amazing. His breaks were a pad he had set up to ride on the back wheel. He'd stand on the pad for break. Wore out a few sets. Nerves man... nerves.
I've always wondered why one of the friends of the guy who came up with that design didnt say "Hey retard, how about making the front and rear wheels the same size?".
They are not that hard to ride once you learn how to get started and how to get off of the bike and you cannot turn a close radius.
When I lived in N. Colorado, I lived in a town with lots of bike trails. 4 guys and I were going to make our own bikes like this, start a club and ride the hell out of them on the local trails. It was fun to talk about. Never happened...
I have one too...and your right...go for it and commit...if you don't it's face plant time!!..real hoot to ride though!!
It may be a boneshaker. They made several re-makes of the turn of the century high wheels (also called ordinaries). I think the company may still be around and is still producing some high wheelers. The bigger the front wheel, the faster the ride. Truck and bike both are cool.