If you are an extrovert who loves to incite interest and attract attention then this could be for you! Why not exchange your conventional bicycle for a High Wheel, or Penny Farthing as they were once called, based on the pre-metric system coinage of Great Britain, the penny being considerably larger than the farthing. For those not in the know, we are referring to the daddy of all bicycles, introduced in the 1870s which not only demanded the above mentioned character traits but a heightened sense of balance!
The brand new version of this iconic vintage two wheeler is the Standard Highwheel, a design created in 2013 by Swedish architect Peter-Olaf-Kippel, who fell in love with this type of transportation after reading ‘Born to Run’ by Christopher McDouglas after which, he invited his friends to participate in his 40th birthday celebrations through an Iron Man contest. The twist was that only facilities from the late 19th century could be used and as such the 180 km. race had to be accomplished on a High Wheel bicycle!
He discovered that these were still in production and tracked down an enthusiast in South Korea, Mr Lee-Gwang-Hy, who entered into collaboration with Mr Kippel and agreed to hand craft the parts for the final bicycles to be assembled and tested in Sweden. The demand for quality and efficiency were met, although the desire to keep the price down to 1.000 euro was deemed impossible and a compromise of 1.400 euros appeared to be more realistic. The final result is a sleek two wheeler with an efficient speed, balance ratio in chrome plated steel, powder coated aluminium with elegant stainless steel handlebars. So, if you are an adventurous type who wants an alternative form of eco friendly transportation then this may be the very thing you have been searching for!
