Jeremy Vine Cycles His New 'Bike' In Chiswick

BBC broadcaster snapped riding his penny-farthing on High Road

Jeremy Vine is well known as an enthusiastic cyclist but local residents were surprised to see that his taste also extends towards the vintage.

The BBC broadcaster and local resident was spotted riding his penny-farthing bike on Chiswick High Road on Saturday (2 February) and one wit was quick to suggest that he might be trying out the new CS9 route.

Jeremy gets on the bike

Jeremy confirmed to ChiswickW4.com that it was indeed himself on the Penny Farthing and joked that it was "probably a mid life crisis that caused me to buy a bike with a 56 inch front wheel!"

He said it took him about an hour to learn how to ride the bike and while it's "a joy to ride", he does have to get off to go through traffic lights.

And pushes himself off

The penny-farthing, also known as a high wheel,was the first machine to be called a "bicycle". It was popular in the 1870s and 1880s, with its large front wheel providing high speeds and comfort (the large wheel provides greater shock absorption). It became obsolete from the late 1880s with the development of modern bicycles, which were faster and had pneumatic tyres.

The name came from the British penny and farthing coins, one much larger than the other, so that the side view resembles a penny leading a farthing.

February 2, 2019