Episode 221: Frank Lenz, the Penny Farthist

from The Nonessential Podcast · host Ben Matlock and Steve Gibson

In 1884, 17 year old Pittsburg resident Frank Lenz took a month of his accountant's salary and jumped headlong into the most bad-ass hobby of the time: Penny Farthing. Unfortunately, the march of time and mankind's slow but sure ability to eventually use common sense meant that Frank's dream of riding a big-wheeled bike around the world was unlikely to happen. So instead, he traded his ridiculous 55-lb monstrosity for a "safety bike" and took off west. Would he make it home? No. Sources: The Adventurous Life and Mysterious Death of Frank Lenz - JSTOR Daily Frank Lenz (cyclist) - Wikipedia Thomas Stevens (cyclist) - Wikipedia

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This episode was published on May 23, 2023.

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