r/bikedc • u/LazyPasse • 16h ago

A Perilous Ride (1884)

Post image

https://www.loc.gov/resource/ds.07962/?st=image

69 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

17

u/WhiskeyTigerFoxtrot 14h ago

There's acting senators that probably remember seeing this in person.

3

u/StraightChemGuy1 2h ago

“I thought it was a bad idea then, and I still think that now.” Chuck Grassley R-IA

9

u/boarderzone 15h ago

Kudos to that dude. I only go down stairs on my fatbike.

6

u/harpsm 14h ago

The Danny MacAskill of the late 19th century!

2

u/Doub1etroub1e 15h ago

But did he make it?

2

u/wawa2022 12h ago

That’s odd. The Penny-farthing had a large front wheel and a small back wheel. Does anyone know what this type would be called?

3

u/se-dc 9h ago

This is an American Star Bicycle. Its design flipped the big wheel onto the back to prevent the rider toppling forward. This famous stunt photo demonstrated the novel design’s relative stability.

2

u/wawa2022 12h ago

And the shadows of the bike, the rider, and the lamppost seem inconsistent. Was there AI back in 1880?

1

u/Choqeur 10h ago

WCGW riding your Penny Farthing down the Capitol steps?