Story: Bicycles

The penny-farthing

The penny-farthing

The penny-farthing, also called the ‘ordinary’, appeared on New Zealand roads in the 1870s, and outpaced the velocipede, the first bicycle, which had arrived in the late 1860s. These men rode their penny-farthings from Christchurch to the West Coast in 1887.

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Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PA1-f-010-21

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Jamie Mackay, 'Bicycles - Types of bicycles', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/23418/the-penny-farthing (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Jamie Mackay, published 11 Mar 2010, reviewed & revised 27 Sep 2016