Old Bike

[MrX]

I road a 132 year old bicycle, today.

1882 Century Expert. That was pretty cool. I'm pretty sure I'll never ride an older bike than that.

 

[roguejuror]

what are the tires made of?

 

[Matty]

Looks like wood.

 

[FairWarning]

What was the purpose of the big front wheel?

 

[Matty]

Speed I suppose. No gears/chain drive, so the simplest way to reduce pedaling effort is to make the wheel bigger.

I'm just guessing.

 

[roguejuror]

dirt roads?

 

[Archie]

how old of a bike helmet did you wear?

 

[roguejuror]

That bike is almost as old as Muddy.

 

[Mudcat]

I feel for the little wheel at the back. Poor little guy.

 

[FairWarning]

Speed I suppose. No gears/chain drive, so the simplest way to reduce pedaling effort is to make the wheel bigger.

I'm just guessing.

I didn't notice the no-chain part.

 

[MrX]

what are the tires made of?

Solid rubber, held in place by an internal wire that runs the circumference of the wheel. Any rideable bikes this old are not on the original rubber, though.

Speed I suppose. No gears/chain drive, so the simplest way to reduce pedaling effort is to make the wheel bigger.

I'm just guessing.

Exactly right. The larger wheel also smooths the ride. They were not ridden on pavement, of course.

how old of a bike helmet did you wear?

I wore a bowler hat. I never wear a helmet on these things, which is extremely dumb ('cause they're deathtraps), but a helmet feels so period-inauthentic.

 

[Mudcat]

Did you attempt a wheelie?

 

[MrX]

I can ride these a little ways on the front wheel only, like a unicycle (I've ridden unicycles since I was a kid).

I did not attempt this on the 130 year old bike, as I believe its owner would probably never let me back on if I did that.

 

[Matty]

Bike above sure looks like it has wooden "tires".

 

[MrX]

I see how it looks like wood, but it's definitely old rubber.

 

[mcbaseball10]

How does one mount a bike such as this? Stool? How does the bike stay upright without a kickstand?

 

[FairWarning]

What is the size of the big wheel?

 

[MrX]

Left foot on that mounting peg above the rear wheel, give it a push and stand up on peg, swing right leg up over the seat and hop up.

I have no idea how the bike is defying gravity in this photo.