Early Tallbikes

Here are all the pictures I can find of pre-1990 tallbikes. Most of these came from Victorian and Edwardian Cycling & Motoring From Old Photographs By A.B. Demaus or from the personal collections of The Wheelmen. Special thanks to Cigdem for her contributions.

When the pennyfarthing was invented, it seemed quite natural to travel at that height. After all, everyone else on the road was up there- either on horseback or in a carriage. Thus these bikes were considered "Ordinary". When the safety was invented, the deadly pennyfarthings were frowned upon and even outlawed. But they'd come in quite handy for lighting gas lamps. Thus the invention of the lamplighter, the precursor to the modern tallbike.

Check out the torch attached to the frame on this one:

Eventually people began to make taller bikes for exhibition, promotion, or festivals:

[1897]

[1899]

This photograph comes from Märkvärdigheter ur Naturen, Historien och Lifvet, published in Chicago in 1899 and edited by J.G. Princell.

"Sedan kommer Eiffeltornscykeln; visserligen ej så hög som tornet ifråga, men dock allt för hög att åkas af andra än våghalsar. Sådana finnas dock i mängd, och derför kan man understundom i större städer få se personer åka på en sådan bicykel. Vi ha sett den här i Chicago, och som de måste gå saktaoch försigtigt och alltid väck uppmärksamhet, äro de goda skyltar och vanligtvis försedda med plakat, som annonserar någon slags vara -- oftast cigarrer, hvadan man kan antaga att det endast är förtjensten som lockar någon att åka på dem."

Here's one of my favorite finds, an old ad from the Chicago Bicycle Directory. I'm interested in this fellow's front-wheel-drive, rear-steer tallbike and the fact that he won a race on it! I'm also interested in the fact that, 109 years ago, they were making tallbikes on 31st street in Bridgeport... six blocks away from the Rat Patrol chop shop on 37th street!

I'm working on getting better scans of these pictures, but I wouldn't exactly be clicking Refresh if I were you. Check out more old-timey wacky bikes at A Speculative History of the Rat Patrol.