A Canadian woman with a talent for riding big-wheeled bikes broke two speed records at an Australian track while pedaling a Victorian-style penny farthing.
Some of them had a “spoon brake” that was controlled from the handlebars. From what I can gather, it was a spoon-shaped piece of metal that applied friction to the wheel. Not a hydraulic disc, but more than just the legs. Her track bike probably didn’t have one, though.
I don’t imagine stopping too fast on a penny-farthing is much of an issue.
They are brakeless so its all about pedal resistance… with no mechanical advantage
She is a tank though; her leg muscles are massive I bet she has great control and can get it stopped no problem at reasonable speeds
Some of them had a “spoon brake” that was controlled from the handlebars. From what I can gather, it was a spoon-shaped piece of metal that applied friction to the wheel. Not a hydraulic disc, but more than just the legs. Her track bike probably didn’t have one, though.
That would make sense. Especially being that a penny-farthing is all of the worst things of fixed gear… made more difficult and dangerous