VIDEO: Highwheel Racing In London

Here's an entertaining video of old-fashioned racing in present-day London. Competing on highwheels (also called ordinaries or penny farthings) isn't that much different than on modern bicycles, except for how much further you fall if you crash; and the fact that your legs are trapped beneath the handlebars so there's a strong chance you'll land face-first, which can be disastrous (deaths from these types of falls caused the demise of the highwheel craze around 1890).

If you plan to take up racing highwheels, the "secret" to having a chance is being on a large enough wheel. Highwheels are fixies, i.e. direct drive (no freewheeling). So, all things being equal between the riders, if you have a 56-inch wheel as I do, you have a significant advantage over someone with a 50-inch wheel - at least on a flat course - simply because you cover more ground with each pedal stroke.

It's typical for these races to be run on 1-mile courses around a flat city block, though sometimes they throw in a little hill to keep it interesting. That was the case in the Albany, California race a few years back and it took away some of the advantage of having the biggest wheel. Incidentally, highwheels may look slow but they move right along. American William W. Windle set a mark of 2 minutes 15.6 seconds for a mile in Peoria, Illinois on September 15, 1890. That's 26.5 mph and was likely done on a dirt track.

Enjoy the show,
Jim