Scotland beat England in unique Penny Farthing bicycle polo match

Scotland beat England in unique Penny Farthing bicycle polo match

Back in 2010 I posted about The Great Race, a Penny Farthing bicycle race that takes place once every ten years in the Manchester suburb of Knutsford - and which therefore as it happens was due for a re-staging this year (this very month, in fact), but which has instead had to be put back to 2021 as a result of the ongoing Covid situation.  Something to look forward to next year, then, but in the meantime an equally quaint Victorian velocipedist sport recently took place in Richmond, London - Penny Farthing polo!

source - The Penny Farthing Club

An annual event, this, played this year at the Ham Polo Club's grounds in Richmond and known as the Penny Farthing Calcutta Cup it sees the traditional rivalry of Scotland versus England taken on to the polo field with a wonderfully eccentric twist.

Following much the same rules as equine-based polo, the two four-a-side teams play five chukkas of seven minutes' duration and the result of this particular match was an 8-7 victory for the Scots.  England are still in a strong position, though, leading the series 3-2, previous matches having been played this year in front of reduced crowds (usually in the thousands but currently restricted to 100 - suitably socially-distanced, of course) at Cowdray Park in West Sussex, Herne Hill in London and at the Guards Polo Club in Windsor.

It certainly looks like a lot of fun (the footage below is one chukka from last year's event), although I fancy one would have to be a particularly skilful Penny Farthing rider and polo player as indeed both teams' captains (and their teammates) are by the sound of things.  Even so it was perhaps inevitable that there would be a few tumbles and unseatings in the course of the matches!

source - Wikimedia Commons

It's splendid to see these charming Victorian machines continuing to be used and enjoyed today, especially in unusual circumstances such as these, thanks to the sterling efforts of enthusiasts like Neil Laughton (polo) and Glynn Stockdale (Great Race).  An instantly recognisable machine, the design of which is so closely associated with the 19th century, it is brilliant that they are still being produced today in various forms from traditional replicas to more modern interpretations for use by people from all ends of the cycling spectrum - be that vintagistas keen to master a more traditional cycle in keeping with their period of interest, up to competitive sportspeople such as the road racers and polo players mentioned here.  Long may that continue, and needless to say I will be rooting for England to wrap up the series and win the Penny Farthing Calcutta Cup for 2020 (with apologies to my Scottish readers!).

A retro-electric bike and a player-piano too

As promised here is the post all about player-pianos and bicycles that I had planned.  Just as I had hoped (and half-expected, as it often seems to happen this way) as soon as I had something to blog about after a relatively dry month a couple more interesting things come along out of which I can fashion a post.

I came across these two fascinating takes on traditional machinery a week or so ago (from the excellent blog Laughing Squid) and thought I'd - what's the word... reblog(?) them to my readers here, so much did they tickle my fancy.  They are not related to each other in any way, so no bicycle-powered player-piano I'm afraid (although I still maintain this would be a good idea and formally lay claim to it) but I decided in that I'd get one good post out of the pair of them rather than two lesser posts.



First up is the player-piano.  Stanley.  I like the sound of him already.  Literally.  Stanley isn't just any old player-piano, though.  Thanks to a "creative agency" (whatever that is) and the wonders of modern technology, Stanley has been retro-fitted with a computer and associated electrickery which allows it to... play any song, requested by anyone, via Twitter (I knew there'd be a use found for Twitter one of these days - lo and behold a piano-player remote control).  Of course to get the full effect one really needs to be at Stanley's location in Seattle but still, it's a clever little bit of retro-technology fun for a Sunday I thought.



The bicycle of the title is a far more serious, practical proposition that deserves to do well.  The Faraday Porteur may at first glance look like a reasonably ordinary bicycle but upon closer inspection it reveals itself to be anything but.  For one thing it is electrically-assisted but, unlike current electric bicycles with their thick heavy battery packs bolted onto the diagonal down tube, the Faraday's state-of-the-art lithium-ion batteries are integrated into the standard-sized double top tubes.  This makes it light enough to carry and less ungainly to look at, while still providing up to 15 miles of assisted travel.  It has a few other deft little touches too, like the integrated LED lamps and - on this Porteur model - a handlebar-mounted rack capable of carrying up to 30lbs.

Forgive me if I sound like an advertisement for that is not my intention (although if they want to send me one over for evaluation I won't say no!) but the Faraday appears to me to be possibly the best execution of an electric bike I've seen so far - and by Jove do I like the look of it!  Wonderful vintage touches abound, from the basket-holder at the front through the wooden mudguards to the beautiful leather on the handlebars, top tubes and saddle.

source

Both of these machines are yet more sterling examples of tried and tested technology updated for the 21st century but where Stanley is no more than an amusing - albeit appealingly clever - oddity the Faraday has true potential, successfully and completely merging the best of past and future.  I hear good things about Kickstarter and in fact I see that the company has already raised more than the $100,000 it needs to begin the first production run.  I wish them every success and would love to see more stylish Faradays not just in America but all over the world.  Good luck, chaps, and well done!

1894 Roper Motorbike Aims at World Auction Record

1894 Roper Motorbike Aims at World Auction Record

I wrote almost two years ago about the auction of a rare example of what is generally considered to be the world's first motorcycle - the 1894 Hildebrand & Wolfmüller.  Now one of the few remaining examples of its main competitor at the time is about to be auctioned off; a similar machine which used a different propulsion system that would eventually bow to the superior internal combustion engine - the Roper Steam-Propelled Bicycle.

If contemporary accounts are anything to go by it would seem that the Roper was more than a match for any petrol-powered motorised bicycle of the time.  Forty miles an hour in 1894 was not to be sniffed at, and it must have been quite a thrill puffing along at such a speed atop such a contraption.  Too much of a thrill for its elderly inventor, it would seem, considering what eventually happened to him(!).  One wonders if the technology could ever have been refined enough to make it practicable.  As it turned out, though, in the end internal combustion won the day and steam power ceased to be used in such small configurations.

So rare is this early pseudo-motorbike that the auction house involved can't seem to agree on a reserve price, referencing a contemporaneous steam-powered car that recently sold for $4.2million (£2.6m) and the current holder of the record for the world's most expensive motorcycle - a 1915 petrol-powered Cyclone that went for $502,000 (£313k) three years ago.  It may well be, therefore, that we are about to witness the world's first $1,000,000+ motorcycle (if it can be argued that a steam-powered bicycle comes under the definition of a motorcycle).  Either way, an interesting piece of motoring history is about to change hands.

Penny farthing 'back on the production line'

Penny farthing 'back on the production line'

My favourite kind of news story, this - an historic and unusual device making something of a comeback.  In this case it is the magnificent penny-farthing, the instantly-recognisable Victorian bicycle.

Although there have long been penny-farthing designs available (if you know where to look), these have always been scale versions of the real thing - little more than a novelty; a modern-day pastiche of the classic design complete with BMX-style wheels. 

This one looks to be a different kettle of fish, however.  Practically the same as the original, by all accounts, but with all the bonuses modern industry can bring.  There again we see that great ideal of which I have spoken before - vintage aesthetics married to 21st-Century mechanics.  Perfect!

Roger Lovell (above, left), the chap behind their reintroduction, sounds like just the kind of thoroughly decent fellow who would espouse the cause of these machines - not surprising really as he races them for a hobby (a sport I have blogged about previously).  He is to be commended for bringing these wonderful bikes back into production, not to mention giving the local economy in Leicester a small boost and maintaining an historic link with the area's manufacturing history.

A splendid win-win situation, then.  Who knows, soon we may again all be whizzing about on Leicester-built penny-farthings.  Whee!

Penny farthing race takes place in Knutsford

Penny farthing race takes place in Knutsford

A charming bit of British eccentricity now, featuring perhaps the most recognisable bicycle design of the last 140 years - the Penny-farthing.

This particular event is all the more gladdening for the fact that it is in aid of a good cause and also that it brings Penny-farthing riders from around the world together to share their common interest. It must be quite an interesting and remarkable sight for the locals as well!

Although the skills needed to ride a bike such as the Penny-farthing may seem alien to those of us more used to conventionally-designed machines, by all accounts the actual riding is quite straightforward and it is more the mounting/alighting and the consequences of falling off that are the greater hazards to overcome. I don't think I shall be trying my luck with a full-size Penny-farthing any time soon, although I'm pleased to see that there is a 21st Century version currently available!

Rare early motorcycle to be auctioned

Rare early motorcycle to be auctioned

After a few days of relative quiet here is an article about what is essentially one of the world's first motorcycles. An intriguing tale of the beginnings of the motorbike; it is interesting to note in the design the obvious debts owed to the bicycles of the period and yet in many other ways it is surprisingly modern. Certainly the speeds claimed are tremendous for the time, although I wouldn't fancy trying to hit 30mph on one of them, would you? Likewise we may laugh today at the thought of a 1.5-litre engine pumping out all of 2½ horsepower at a lowly 240 revs per minute, but then you have to remember that the predominant mode of transport at that time had one horsepower and travelled at an appreciably slower speed! Although from the sound of things the latter was still the more reliable.

What people, used to horse-drawn carriages and pushbikes, would have thought when seeing someone whizzing about on one of these I can't imagine. It must have been simply mind-boggling to have been alive during a period of such technological advancement.