Ordinary

Ordinary bicycle, British invention also known as penny-farthing or high wheel. It was most popular in 1880s. It replaced boneshaker, and then it was gradually replaced by safety bicycle with two wheels of equal size.

The construction of wire spoke tension wheel was introduced in 1869 by William Nagle. Around 1870 James Starley, English inventor described as the father of the bicycle industry, began producing bicycles based on the French boneshaker but with front wheels of increasing size - up to 1.5 m in diameter. Larger front wheels enabled higher speeds on bicycles limited to direct drive. In 1878, Albert Pope began manufacturing the Columbia bicycle outside of Boston, starting their two-decade heyday in America. Although the trend was short-lived, the penny-farthing became a symbol of the late Victorian era.

Bicycle manufactures used to experiment with various constructions