Are you a penny rider? It’s one thing if you only ride around your neighborhood and quite another if you travel with an odd bike like a penny farthing.
But, if you’ve never done it before, it can be a little intimidating. So let’s talk about how you can travel with such an odd bike.
To travel with one of these odd bikes, you need to take it apart. For most riders, you’re going to need to take apart the:
- Wheel
- Cranks
- The frame
- Saddle
- Handlebars
- Any adapters you need for mounting accessories
- The brakes
- A spare pair of cranks
- Front fork
- Rear fork (you can leave the rear wheel attached)
(One note for those traveling with an odd bike like a penny farthing: if your penny has a rear step-on, it’s safest to take this off. It will reduce the overall profile and volume of the bike, making it lighter, easier to pack, and reducing the risk of damage in transit.)
If you do decide to break one of these odd bikes down and travel with it, one of the best ways to do it is to remove four spokes from the front wheel and pack everything as detailed up inside of it.
Slip the rear wheel and fork inside of the hole created by removing the spokes, along with the handlebars, and the seat. Now, you can pack the rest of the parts up under the spokes. However, since some of the smaller parts can theoretically fall out, there’s an alternative option.
If you’re concerned about the smaller parts falling out, pack up the remaining parts (and your clothing and safety gear) in a separate bag that you can take along with the whole package.
If you do follow this method, it’s advisable to use zip ties to secure the parts to the spokes of the front wheel, so they aren’t rattling around inside.
Once you’ve got everything disassembled and (more or less) packed in the front wheel, you can wrap the whole thing up in a moving blanket – these are cheap, affordable, and readily available at hardware and home improvement stores.
If you’re concerned about the cranks or rear fork getting damaged, slip a sock over the end of the forks and around the cranks.
If you travel with a penny farthing bicycle, make sure you carry spares and tools. You’ll need an Allen key set, a pedal wrench, crank tools and a spoke key. To save space, just cling wrap these all together and stuff them in a pack.
That’s basically what you need to know on how to pack the parts of an odd bike like a penny farthing!
Need a New Odd Bike?
Looking for a new odd bike? Do you still have questions about how to pack one for travel? Get in touch with the people at Unicycle.com – that’s where all these tips came from.
Give them a call or email them and they’ll put you in touch with experts that can answer your questions in detail.
