Penny-farthing, high wheel, high wheeler, and ordinary are all terms used to describe a type of bicyclewith a large front wheel and a much smaller rear wheel that was popular after the boneshaker, until the development of the safety bicycle, in the 1880s. They were the first machines to be called "bicycles". Although they are now most commonly known as "penny-farthings", this term was probably not used until they were nearly outdated; the first recorded print reference is 1891 in Bicycling News.[3] It comes from the British penny and farthing coins, one much larger than the other, so that the side view resembles a penny leading a farthing. For most of their reign, they were simply known as "bicycles". In the late 1890s, the term "ordinary" began to be used, to distinguish them from the emerging safety bicycles, and this term or Hi-wheel (and variants) is preferred by many modern enthusiasts.

About 1870, James Starley, described as the father of the bicycle industry, and others began producing bicycles based on the French boneshaker but with front wheels of increasing size, because larger front wheels, up to 1.5 m (60 in) in diameter, enabled higher speeds on bicycles limited to direct drive. In 1878, Albert Pope began manufacturing the Columbia bicycle outside of Boston, starting their two-decade heyday in America.

Although the trend was short-lived, the penny-farthing became a symbol of the late Its popularity also coincided with the birth of cycling as a sport. There are still many of these unwieldy bikes around the world and a number of enthusiasts actually compete in races.  Here is a video of penny farthing races held in Evandale, Tasmania every year.

Some time ago, we showed a video of Scottish free-style bike expert Danny McAskill doing his stuff. There have been a number of requests for a re-showing of this excellent film so here it is again. The scenery is really good too!

We have just received the proofs for the new MIVA jersey and shorts  from Kallisto. The new designs are a departure from last year's mainly white clothing and should prove popular with all SKY fans. Watch for illustrations of the new kit.

Your editor has just returned from a week in Tucson, Arizona.  Accommodation was provided by Mirek Mazur, one of the most successful road coaches in North America who has Michael Barry, Brian Walton,  Clara Hughes and numerous American and Canadian national team members among his present and previous clients. His house is ideal as a centre for training camps, having five bedrooms, three bathrooms and a large double garage complete with loads of custom bike racks. To say that this beautiful city, set in semi desert and surrounded by mountains, is bike friendly would be a massive understatement. An initial brisk ride through the Oro Valley suburb where Mirek's home is located revealed lots of four lane roads with wide bike lanes and segregated multi-use trails beside them. In fact only one of the roads travelled had no bike lanes. The terrain was fairly flat but rolled slightly, providing great routes for intervals or casual riding. There were hoards of cyclists everywhere, both from Tucson and from all over the States and Canada, enjoying the mid 20's temperature.

But Tucson doesn't just have these great mild gradient roads to ride on. One of the best things about this city, located in the Sonora Desert, is the easy access to a number of the best climbs in North America. The nearest was a well-paved road going most of the way up Mount Lemmon, a nine thousand foot peak with some interesting varieties of vegetation. The climb is forty-five kilometers and rises six thousand feet. While there, your editor managed the first two thousand a couple of times, finding the average six percent gradient quite manageable despite his advanced years!.

Because of the warm climate, the racing season starts really early and there are numerous events from early February on. Last Sunday was a thirty mile time trial with over one hundred and fifty starters and next weekend there is a road race, time trail and criterium. It's no wonder, a lot of the North American based pro's use Tucson as their training base.

 There are many training camps run by such well-known coaches as Carmichael and Friel but Mirek Mazur has perhaps the least expensive and most comfortable. His basic weekly charge starts at $650 for basic accommodation and goes to fifteen hundred dollars for full board, with home cooked breakfasts and lunches and a nightly dinner with wine at a local 5 star restaurant. Of course, there is always Mirek's wise advice re. Everything from bike sizing adjustment to training tips. There is much more information at www.mazurcoaching.com.

Now that we are familiar with this great south western cycling Mecca, a MIVA trip to Arizona next year is a strong possibility.

There are many great sites that contain very funny stuff about cycling and cyclists. One of the best (which you may have found) is Sheldon Brown's collection of interesting inventions to help you get more out of your chosen sport and pastime. Here is the link to Sheldon's  hilarious stuff.