1865 Early Ordinary
edited by David Barth, 6 June 2011.
Courtesy The Forney Museum of Transportation at 4303 Brighton Blvd., Denver,
Colorado 80216. Photos were taken in June 2011.
Following the "bone shaker" type of bicycle, common from 1860 to 1869, the design morphed into a bicycle with a very large front wheel and a smaller rear wheel.
These bicycles have several names. One is "penny farthing" to illustrate the difference of the diameter of the large wheel, like an old English penny, to a smaller
rear wheel (sometimes in the front), like an English farthing that is smaller than the penny. Other names include "ordinary" (the name most commonly used),
"high wheeler," and "standard." At the Forney Museum, we use the most common term, "ordinary," to describe these high wheel bicycles. These bicycles were most
common during the 1870's.
The smaller rear wheel lowered the back of the frame to allow the rider to climb onto the high-mounted seat. The reason for the larger wheel was to provide
more speed than could be accomplished with a smaller wheel.
These bicycles were not generally used by the average person because they were difficult to mount and dismount, and the bicycle had the propensity to dump the
rider over the handlebars if it hit a curb, rock, or other undulation in the road.
This early ordinary had the same type of wheels as the bone shaker, wooden with iron strips around the wood to increase durability. With this type of wheel,
like the bone shaker, it also had a very rough ride.
As industrial technology progressed, with the advent of sprockets and chains, the dangerous ordinary bicycle was replaced by one that looks more like the bone
shaker and today's bicycles, driven by pedals between the wheels that drive a chain and sprocket arrangement to power the front or rear wheel. The size of the
sprockets could alter the "gearing" of the bicycle so that it could be slow or fast, depending on the builder's desire.
In summary, the three primary evolutionary designs of the bicycle are:
Draisienne - no pedals or brake, foot powered, configured similarly to today's bicycles.
Bone shaker - pedals on a larger front wheel, wooden wheels with iron strips around them.
Ordinary (also called penny farthing, high wheeler, and standard) - very large front wheel for higher speed and a smaller rear wheel (or, sometimes, front
wheel).
Modern bicycle design - wheels of same size, pneumatic tires, wheel driven by pedals, sprockets, and chain arrangement.
The Exhibit number is 118.
