Tag Archive for 'penny farthing'

The penny farthing bicycle

Published on September 19, 2012 by Debbie Rudder in Object of the week, Sport, Technology and transport. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , .
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Powerhouse Museum Collection, object no H5157. Gift of Mr P H Bullock, 1951.

Our small (but beautiful) bicycle display has proved so popular that its run has been extended to 5 November 2012. Not surprisingly, the bicycle that attracts the most attention is the penny farthing. It’s majestic, it looks a real challenge to ride, and it was a radical design in its day. Those are all excellent reasons to focus on it during NSW Bicycle Week (15-23 September).

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Dursley Pedersen bicycle

Published on May 28, 2012 by Margaret Simpson in Object of the week and transport. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , , , , .
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Dursley Pedersen bicycle, c. 1910. From the collection of the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney. It was restored in 1985 and 350 individual parts were nickel plated. B1265.

How do you ride this bike, where’s the seat? This rare gentleman’s bicycle in our collection takes its name from its Danish inventor, Mikael Pedersen, and the Gloucestershire town in England where it was made. Pedersen was an engineer and farm machinery inventor who arrived in Britain from Denmark in 1893 and was employed by R. A. Lister, the engine and cream separator manufacturer in Dursley, Gloucestershire.

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