1886 L.A.W. Canton Ohio City Hall Photo 23"

[mike cates]

Note the lower extended arm on the rear fork having rear mounting step. This is because, as the rear wheel grew in diameter moving towards equal diameter wheels, such as used on the hard tire safety bicycle, placing the mounting step on the back bone above the rear forks as on the generic high wheel bicycle made it harder to reach and step onto.
In the late development of the high wheel bicycle (1890-92), larger rear wheels were being introduced on "Rational" models made by all major manufacturers.
It became obvious from use over the years that the rear 16"-20" rear wheel caused a much rougher ride over the rutted dirt roads in the country and brick lined streets in the cities. Front fork angles on these "Rationals" became slightly more "raked" to also aid in the development for safety and reducing the possibility of a header.
Mike Cates, CA.

 

[dnc1]

The 'Ordinary' in my photos is an 1880 'Singer' Imperial Challenge model with a 52 inch wheel, sadly I don't have details for the 'Kangaroo'.
Anyway, let's get back to perusing that wonderful original photo.....
...I can see 5 tandem tricycles pictured, inccluding 1 side-by-side 'sociable'!
Does anyone have any ideas on the manufacturers of these?

 

[mike cates]

Here is a high wheel safety I used to own called a SINGER CHALLENGE that is shown in Sturmey's Indispensable
Bicycle Book by Henry Sturmey. This book shows many high wheel safeties with full descriptions that I had never seen or heard about before so get a book if ever offered for sale.
Funny how when I purchased the bike it did not have a seat and only the Arab seat spring as shown in the photo.
Could it have been the same bike (who knows) but I have wondered if another one existed?
It is unique in design of the front fork legs how they carry the two driving sprockets at an angle on each side of the bicycle.
Also another oddity is the the radial spokes were larger in diameter at the front and rear hub flanges and about half that diameter at the rim. They would have had to have been headed in the rim BEFORE screwing them into the hub flanges when building the wheels. The spoke clearance holes in the rim would not allow the spoke to be removed from the rims since this clearance hole was ever so slightly larger than the smaller tapered diameters of the spoke at the rims.
Probably just enough clearance hole diameter to let the spokes be slid into the rim for their threaded length so they could be screwed in and installed in the hub flanges.
Mike Cates, CA.

 

[Carltonator]

Here's a couple of photos I took in July of last year at The 61st annual 'Benson Rally' ride over here in England.
It gives you a nice size comparison between an 'Ordinary' ((high-wheeler) and a 'Kangaroo' (or one of its variants), side by side......
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...always great to see such wonderful things still in use.
I particularly liked the stylish 'cruising' pegs on the 'Kangaroo'.

Wonderful group photo of the L.A.W.

Boy that kangaroo looks a lot safer...I speculate you would have to find a post or wall to dismount a high wheel...falling to the the ground off one looks treacherous...Or perhaps with the right balance you get off the same way you got on using the back step...Q. Do they have races at the Benson Rally?

 

[dnc1]

Boy that kangaroo looks a lot safer...I speculate you would have to find a post or wall to dismount a high wheel...falling to the the ground off one looks treacherous...Or perhaps with the right balance you get off the same way you got on using the back step...Q. Do they have races at the Benson Rally?

You usually find riders of those 'high-wheelers' are very adept and practiced at dismounting, typically using the mounting technique (via the step) in reverse; although I have seen people dismount (intentionally) forwards, over the handlebars, but they're just showing off!

We don't have races at the Benson Rally; it's a 15 mile loop on open public roads (with all other types of vehicles overtaking and coming towards you), involving up, and down hill sections.
It's open to pre-1936 bicycles and usually attracts around 150 riders.

There are some high wheel races in the UK held every year, on velodrome and on 'criterium' circuits (typically 1 mile long laps with left and right hand turns and a couple of small ascents and descents).
One race I saw in 2022, on a 1 mile 'crit' course, lasted for 30 minutes plus 2 laps - it was certainly a sight to see!

 

[mike cates]

Most riders use the mounting step to mount the bike initially unless you have an EAGLE high wheel bicycle where the large rear wheel is in the back and there isn't a mounting step so you have to do a "pedal mount" that takes practice by running alongside the bicycle and timing the pedals to use as a mounting step.
Most experienced riders of a traditional high wheel bicycles use either the right or left hand pedal for dismounting the bicycle called a "pedal dismount".
Reaching back to find the step to get off is actually more dangerous to have to look down and back to see if your foot has felt around and found the mounting step and also the danger of putting the toe of your shoe right into the revolving front spokes of the large front wheel or your foot overlapping the front wheel and not letting you turn right usually causing a crash. This method is also dangerous if you are in a slight right turn and the front wheel is blocking your foot access to the mounting step when wanting to dismount.
A "pedal dismount" is timing either the right or left hand pedal at it's almost down position then using the pedal to transfer you weight while swinging your free leg slightly up and around the backbone to clear the bike and landing both feet nearly at the same time on the ground next to the bike all while keeping your hands on the hand grips. Remember when swinging off the bicycle not to lean the bicycle away fro your dismounting side or swing your leg into the bicycle but just slightly to it's side otherwise you will land on top of the side of the bicycle during your mid leg swing which isn't a pretty sight! Sounds difficult but it comes with practicing this maneuver especially if a safer or somewhat quicker stop is needed.
There is also the "emergency stop" by just sliding back and bailing off the back of the saddle rearward and grabbing the backbone/front wheel just before you feet hit the ground to save the bicycle. When doing this you don't want to push forward on the handlebars too much or the bike will want to tip over forward.
I've practiced both these maneuvers to feel comfortable when riding in a large crowd of people walking in parks or if you come upon a set of stairs suddenly going downwards on a sidewalk or path. Also if a steep downward hill comes up unexpectedly so you don't start going to fast too quickly down the hill and cannot hold back your machine with your legs since the wheel will start going faster quickly with each portion of forward revolution.

There videos online with bicycles with two mounting steps at either side of the back bone rather than the traditional location on the left side of the back bone.

By practice you will get confident.

I think Dave Toppin had an online video showing him doing the pedal dismount I saw sometime ago and maybe he could post it? Thanks Dave if you still have it.

Mike Cates, CA.

 

[mike cates]

Couldn't seem to edit my previous post with catalog details from Sturmey's book on the Singer Challenge kangaroo style high wheel safety but here you go.
Mike Cates, CA.

 

[Carltonator]

Couldn't seem to edit my previous post with catalog details from Sturmey's book on the Singer Challenge kangaroo style high wheel safety but here you go.
Mike Cates, CA.

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Mike Cates Sir....The Kangaroo looks much easier to ride...thanks for the great descriptions getting off a high wheel...hopefully it would come naturally after a while...As popular as the high wheel was I speculate it was all worth it...compared to riding a horse...Thanks so much for all the explantion...

 

[mike cates]

You are correct as at the time the horse was what most people who wanted to get around faster than walking rode and then came the High Wheel bicycle which became referred to as "An ever saddled horse that never eats" comparing to the constant costs to keeping and feeding a horse.
Mike Cates, CA.

 

[Carltonator]

You are correct as at the time the horse was what most people who wanted to get around faster than walking rode and then came the High Wheel bicycle which became referred to as "An ever saddled horse that never eats" referring to costs to keep and feed a horse.
Mike Cates, CA.

Great overview....have you read a lot of Bicycle World magazines from the 1880's?...it seems to be the number one place for info on the high wheel era...