There's a peg on the frame. You put one foot on that, scoot forward, and then swing up onto it as it's moving. A tall bike is a long pendulum, so it takes surprisingly long to fall over!
Dismounting is off the back at a stop, just arrest the bike and kick your ass back. Or off the front if you're being circus-boy.
A 50" wheel has a 50" gear so moderate hills are very doable. Descents are more perilous - but seasoned pennyfarthing riders just take their feet off the pedals and hook 'em over the handlebars letting the thing run away. Modern ones have a V-brake (like a mountain bike brake) on the rear wheel and you can apply retarding force to the pedals just as you do with a fixie.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2007-08-03 04:54 pm (UTC)Dismounting is off the back at a stop, just arrest the bike and kick your ass back. Or off the front if you're being circus-boy.
A 50" wheel has a 50" gear so moderate hills are very doable. Descents are more perilous - but seasoned pennyfarthing riders just take their feet off the pedals and hook 'em over the handlebars letting the thing run away. Modern ones have a V-brake (like a mountain bike brake) on the rear wheel and you can apply retarding force to the pedals just as you do with a fixie.