Have you seen this type of High Wheel, Penny Farthing?
 

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...f7d4056614.jpg
I saw this picture at Clark's Restaurant near Cosmopolis, Wa. today. I've never seen this version. I like the young man's style. Riding the boards might require some mellow calm. He appears to have that covered. Any insight?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Star_Bicycle

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...l_in_1885.jpeg

If there's not a U-joint just above the fork, if the fork pivots about the axis of the long steering tube between the handlebars and the fork, the front wheel is gonna have a ton of wheel flop, due to the axis inclination, and huge trail. With hands off the steering, it is metastable on center and wants to flop extreme right or left, just from the rider and bike weight.

Above: Notice he is descending the stairs (stable), whereas ascending the stairs it will wheelie. The reverse of typical penny farthings.

Thank you for the quick responses.
It would have been fun to try out all the early machines when I was young.
I don't have the money or body to give it a go today.
I didn't have the money when I was young either.
Perhaps another life.

There was a time many decades ago when I was really into antique bicycles and had seen a few Stars in person. Those I recall had a complicated lever actuated drive which is apparent in the image of the guy going down the stairs but not in the original post…I did a quick google search and there is actually a Star with the lever drive for sale on ebay right now.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...568b45538.jpeg

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...48e887eef0.jpg
The Star Bicycle, immortalized!

Neat attempt to improve safety of the high wheel design. It was common to be injured or died from "a header" when the big wheel hits an object and the rider pivots head first over the wheel.

Eagle High Wheels run $7 to $10K..

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item...-wheel-bicycle

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item...-wheel-bicycle

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item...safety-bicycle

I ~believe~ the bike in the OP is an Eagle.

https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...8f7398457f.jpg


distinct from the Star

https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...92987fe6eb.png

Donald Adams' "Collecting and Restoring Antique Bicycles" relates both were considered 'speed machines' in their day, usually winning short distance events. Both were challenging to mount and suffered from 'washout' in gravel corners due to the light front ends.

The biggest issue* with the Star is that the rider had to lift their leg/foot after each pedal stroke - tiring on distance rides!

The biggest issue* with the Eagle is apparent in the patent date: it was introduced after the chain-drive safety and was quickly rendered obsolete.



*Well, apart from the issues with the design of penny-farthing style bicycles in general.

The 'e-bike' of its day:

https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...ba50a2aae1.jpg


Steam boiler between your legs on a machine prone to crashing with poor brakes - what could possibly go wrong?

Thanks for that clarification!
A long time ago, I took a photo of a bike at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. I think this was a display of some of the Schwinn collection, but that's just a guess.
There is at least one bike in the general configuration of an American Star, but it has the direct drive of this Eagle. Seems likely that it would be an Eagle....

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...798f3d_b_d.jpg

By chance, there is an American Star at the Wheels 'O Time museum (very!) close to me. I was visiting it last fall and grabbed a few photos...

https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5d0ea20055.jpg


https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...9143fe0ca5.jpg

Steve in Peoria

So lo-pro high-wheeler?

Post #2 and #5: One of those has the fork backwards. Me thinks on #2, as the wheels are so close together. #5 mimics modern steering geometry, with an inclined steering axis, but then the folk droputs projected forward enough to reduce some of the caster/trail to improve stability by reducing wheel-flop, which, as I mentioned earlier, was a big concern for that bike descending the stairs in #2.

This should be the feature photo in any encyclopedia or dictionary entry on the word "Steampunk".

Actually, the Star in Post 5 has its steering axis flipped (even the bars are upside down). Look at the period factory literature in post 8.

Yeah I see what you mean. And it flipped in #5 does appear to put the tire contact center just barely ahead of steering axis intersection with the road, it's close, but unstable. Flipped the other way, massive amount of caster, not necessarily bad given the bike, but the inclination of the steering axis will result in a lot of wheel flop, like choppers, only worse.

I don't think that's Penny Farthing; looks like a Farthing Penny.

“Thread of the Week”

This entire thread makes me thankful for the invention of the "safety cycle," which had the added benefit of getting women interested in cycling.