Looking Back

from On The Bay Spring 2021

From Our Editor

Riding Into HISTORY

This photo from about 1887 shows members of the First Collingwood and Stayner Bicycle Club on the pier in Collingwood. The riders are identified as George Mathers of Stayner; Rev. D. H. Currie, H. Fanjay and John Leary of Collingwood; Will Petrie and Ernest Woods of Stayner.

These early bicycles were known as high-wheelers or “penny farthings” after the British penny and farthing coins, the former of which was much larger than the latter, reminiscent of the size difference between the two wheels of the bicycle.

Before the advent of “safety” bicycles similar to those in use today, cycling on these ungainly contraptions was not for children. The high-wheeled bicycles were expensive, mounting and dismounting was difficult, and remaining aloft required some athletic prowess, so the sport tended to attract professional men in their 20s and 30s. The cost of a bicycle at that time was around $100 Canadian, equivalent to several months’ wages for the average factory or shipyard worker.

The safety bicycle had already been invented by the time this photo was taken. As the name implies, it was a safer alternative, with equal-sized wheels and a lower saddle that put the rider’s feet within reach of the ground. With the rise in popularity of safety bicycles among all ages and both sexes, penny farthings soon became obsolete. ❧ Sources: Collingwood Museum; The Ride to Modernity: The Bicycle in Canada, 1869-1900, by G. B. Norcliffe.

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