UK law on brakes

[fossala]

If you need two brakes on a bike, one on each wheel. Does this mean penny farthings aren't road legal or is there an exception for old bikes like there are for old cars and seatbelts?

https://www.cyclinguk.org/article/whats ... -your-bike

Nothing more than pondering.

[fossala]

Answered my own question.

“the pedals act on any wheel or on the axle of any wheel without the interposition of any gearing or chain”, none of the braking requirements apply. (PCCUR r. 9(1)(a))

https://ukcyclerules.wordpress.com/2011 ... ke-brakes/

[Brucey]

I didn't know that before. Mind you many of the 'ordinarys' I have seen have had spoon brakes fitted. Whether on the front wheel or the rear I wouldn't fancy using one much, because (esp going downhill, when you really need a brake) there is virtually no weight over the rear wheel and it would take precious little to see you going over the 'bars.


it is a long way down from there

cheers

[fossala]

If you look at the cyclinguk link in the OP it says that spoon brakes don't count under UK law (or much use under the laws of physics either).

[gaz]

If you follow the construction and use link within the link in your OP you'll find the same exemption statement as you made in your second post.

if one wheel is not only incapable of rotating independently of the pedals, but the pedals are fixed directly to it without any intervening chain or gears, the cycle does not have to be equipped with any actual brakes at all. This is obviously designed to allow various antique machines to be exercised on the highway without adding incongruous modern accessories!

[fossala]

If you follow the construction and use link within the link in your OP you'll find the same exemption statement as you made in your second post.

if one wheel is not only incapable of rotating independently of the pedals, but the pedals are fixed directly to it without any intervening chain or gears, the cycle does not have to be equipped with any actual brakes at all. This is obviously designed to allow various antique machines to be exercised on the highway without adding incongruous modern accessories!

Yeah, I'm not bright. Lucky I have my looks.

[Oldjohnw]

If you follow the construction and use link within the link in your OP you'll find the same exemption statement as you made in your second post.

if one wheel is not only incapable of rotating independently of the pedals, but the pedals are fixed directly to it without any intervening chain or gears, the cycle does not have to be equipped with any actual brakes at all. This is obviously designed to allow various antique machines to be exercised on the highway without adding incongruous modern accessories!

Yeah, I'm not bright. Lucky I have my looks.

Right answer

[Brucey]

Re the spoon/plunger brake; AFAICT this is only deemed 'not to be efficient' if it is acting on a pneumatic tyre.

[if it were not the case then it would be illegal to ride early safety bicycles]

FWIW I seem to recall reading that the term pennyfarthing was a slightly derogatory one in common usage before the safety bicycle came along.

cheers

[reohn2]

Thread drift alert..
When you look at it the Ordinary is the daftest of ideas for a bicycle

[fossala]

Thread drift alert..
When you look at it the Ordinary is the daftest of ideas for a bicycle

It's evolution of design rather than a blank slate. They started with smaller wheels but wanted to go faster. Without having gears the only way to do it was to make the wheel large.

[Mick F]

................ and that's why I have a 61t chainwheel on Moulton.

[ratherbeintobago]

Thread drift alert..
When you look at it the Ordinary is the daftest of ideas for a bicycle

To go further down the rabbit hole, isn’t someone doing LEJOG on one (which seems… brave)?

[reohn2]

Thread drift alert..
When you look at it the Ordinary is the daftest of ideas for a bicycle

It's evolution of design rather than a blank slate. They started with smaller wheels but wanted to go faster. Without having gears the only way to do it was to make the wheel large.

I understand why,but always seems to incredible to me they never though of gearing opposed the ridiculous huge wheel and all the problems that came with it
If you ever get the chance go and watch the Knutsford ordinary race,it's bonkers.

[Mick F]

I understand too, but what I don't understand, is what you don't understand as well.

You could have a 1:2 gearbox on the pedal axle and halve the wheel diameter. It couldn't be beyond the wit of the Victorians to do that considering the wonderful technological advancements in that age.

Maybe it wasn't a "couldn't" ....... but a desire to make these things "amazing" instead ............ due to them being in a niche market for the well-to-do rather than for the man in the street.

[tatanab]

You could have a 1:2 gearbox on the pedal axle and halve the wheel diameter. It couldn't be beyond the wit of the Victorians to do that considering the wonderful technological advancements in that age

Which is what the Crypto company did in the early 1890s https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Geared_Ordinary_Bicycle which culminated a couple of years later with the Bantam. https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Bantam_Bicycle Perhaps the materials or manufacturing process wasn't there jus ta few years earlier.