The Highwheeler craze actually started in England , originally they were used quite extensively for bicycle races , Col. Albert Pope started importing them for a brief period before producing them here starting in about 1878 (Columbia bicycles) , check out the picture data base on the Wheelmen site , (wheelmen.org)
there goes the neighbourhood ordinary ratrod!
- Thread starter beast775
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rod Bikes Bicycle Forum:
Why couldn't you put a layback seatpost on it?If you did that it wouldnt put all your weight over the front wheel,and would not be prone to endos?
:shock: YIKES! I know exactly how that guy feels!! :lol:udallcustombikes said:
But don't let that discourage you!! Very cool bike, beast!! :mrgreen: I can't wait to see more!
A laid back seat post would not be practicle on a highwheeler,to get the bike to pedal in a straight line pedal pressure is applied on the down stroke of each pedal,if you are sitting too far back you would be applying pressure on the forward stroke of each pedal ,result you would be wobbleing all over both lanes of traffic even with a death grip on the handlebars,if you ever saw anyone ride a highwheeler they just seem to glide along,it just takes a little practice to get used to the proper pedaling procedure,once you do you can ride with no hand pressure on the handlebars. Also be very carefull using the brake,apply it gingerly while leaning back slightly to shift your center of gravity ,lean back when riding over even the smallest of bumps in the road ,never ride off of a curb(instant header) and practice the emergency dismount (jumping off the back of the bike while moving,grabbing the backbone of the bike to save it too),there are videos on youtube of the emergency dismount.
I have always been under the impression that they hadn't yet come up with the chain-driven tecnology of current bikes. the only way to get a decent ratio for speed with your cranks attached to the hub is to have a huge wheel. you are limited to how high of a gear (size of wheel) you can run by your inseam. That's one disadvantage, ant then there's the whole tipping thing...
Herman, thanks for pointing out the problem with a layback post on these.... the gears were turning in my head for an even more extreme lowrider pennyfarthing project, but now the gears have stopped
Interestingly, when you figure out "gear inches" on a modern bike, you are just doing the math to figure out what size of highwheel front wheel your gearing is equivalent to. As such, these bikes are still the reference point when speaking about bicycle gear ratios.
the calculation is as follows:
[(Chainring teeth)/(rear sprocket teeth)]x(wheel diameter)=Gear Inches
Herman, thanks for pointing out the problem with a layback post on these.... the gears were turning in my head for an even more extreme lowrider pennyfarthing project, but now the gears have stopped
Interestingly, when you figure out "gear inches" on a modern bike, you are just doing the math to figure out what size of highwheel front wheel your gearing is equivalent to. As such, these bikes are still the reference point when speaking about bicycle gear ratios.
the calculation is as follows:
[(Chainring teeth)/(rear sprocket teeth)]x(wheel diameter)=Gear Inches
Congrats on a very cool ride,
http://www.hiwheel.com/
The above link has a full line of repair parts as well as NEW highwheeler bicycles for sale. They also have very reasonably priced reproduction saddles.
I played 1860's base ball and watched the fine folks of Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford ride those and decided I did not have the balance required to get on and off of those. They are very cool and the folks that ride them all the time make the running dismount look so easy.
Good luck on the build,
Sludgeguy
http://www.hiwheel.com/
The above link has a full line of repair parts as well as NEW highwheeler bicycles for sale. They also have very reasonably priced reproduction saddles.
I played 1860's base ball and watched the fine folks of Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford ride those and decided I did not have the balance required to get on and off of those. They are very cool and the folks that ride them all the time make the running dismount look so easy.
Good luck on the build,
Sludgeguy
