1891 Performers’ Rudge Pneumatic

After the bicycle started competing with the horse as a means of personal transportation, it also became popular as a foil for acrobats and other performers. Riding an ordinary (penny farthing) was an athletic feat much admired by the public, and tricks performed on such machines are very impressive. Circus troupes, theatrical and fairground performers and other entertainers soon started experimenting, both with safety bicycles and ordinaries. Safeties were more versatile, but tricks on ordinaries left a lasting impression on the audience, especially when it involved more than one rider on a machine.

To see it at The Museum click here…