Love me those old boneshakers! I almost bought one for 800 a few years ago. But it needed new rubber, and the pedals were not original, and a couple other things, and rationality set in. I tried an original one as a teen. The owner told me too keep trying as I'd lay it down several times until I conquered it! Love at first stable ride! Then I thought, I'm 58 years old, if I crash, my bones are gonna pay big time!
Those bikes are scary! I wonder why somebody invented it with that huge wheel that makes it so hard to mount. What happens when you have to stop, perhaps at a road junction, and then have to start again? Do you find someone to hold it up while you get back on? And the gear/inches of travel would make it suitable only for use on level roads or going downhill. It would be quite a thrill going down a steep hill on one of those and you're forced to take your feet off the pedals. Too much brake, and you go over the front. (I guess they don't have brakes.) Takes a brave man to ride one.
I was told that they were originally designed AS RACERS! The big wheel compensated for lack of gears. The one I tried had a peg above the small wheel. To mount, one placed the foot on the peg, and "skateboarded" to start the coasting, and then jumped up on the seat, and then synced his feet to the pedal. To dismount, How he told me to do it was "unsync the feet" and push the handlebars away from you, sliding off the seat, and prepare to make a two point landing with the feet. Simple, right????...:thumbsup: I made those steps, all within the short time I rode that thing. As for "touring/hills".... I used to do the TOSRV (Tour Of Scioto River Valley). It is a 105 miles down, Saturday, and back Sunday. From Columbus to Portsmouth and back. Some fairly descent hills down there... some feared "Schoolhouse Hill". Out of the 1000's riding, back then, there was one particular rider who actually rode a Boneshaker... down and back!!! He had a plastic milk crate on both sides above the small wheel, full of his gear!!! His thighs were like solid steel!!! He would take those hills! Those around him were extremely impressed!:thumbsup:
i rode one once two or three years ago. it had little pegs on the back and you skateboarded it and then jumped on, just like noted above. i would be worried on a steep descent, thats for sure. and i was afraid i would go over the handle bars if i hit a slightly larger rock or something because you sit almost at the tipping point
Prior to the advent of the 'safety' bicycle, i.e. one with two equally-sized wheels, someone built a 'reverse' penny farthing where the large wheel was in back, the small one in front. They were supposed to be safer by allowing the rider to brake heavily without turning the bike over. Watching people race such bikes must have been equal parts fascination and horror show! It makes me shiver a bit to see all those cyclists blasting around the track with not a single helmet in sight.
Great footage of those bikes racing. I can't imagine what crashing on one of those would be like while at racing speed.
Hmm crazy fast cadence? .... maybe they should have been tested!!!! were any of them related to lance? Just kidding
I can see it as there were limited thrill options back then but not seeing much fun in it. Not minimizing the feat of riding one successfully but just doesn't look like much fun, more of something you did and survived.
