Reply to Cycling

I would like to ride The Katy on an Ordinary (penny farthing) I am a solid rider, but am I going to be able to do it?

I wouldn't want to. Too many recurrent obstacles (rocks, sticks, squirrels, ruts). I like to be closer to the surface. But Hey! U do U.

I saw a group of cyclists riding pennyfarthings near Sedalia a few years ago. Can't say how far they went or where they had come from, but it was interesting. The biggest obstacle (IMO) would be the road crossings where the edge can be abrupt and the difficulty in seeing approaching vehicles on curving roads. But maybe that high up in the saddle would provide better visibility. Might want to consider riding in the fall when the weather's nicer.

Depends on your skill level and bike. I have a good friend who has been riding HighWheelers for years in all sorts of conditions and has done the 5 Bourough bike Tour for at least the past 15 years as well as lots of riding around Manhattan (NYC not Kansas). It can definitely be done. the trail is gently graded and fairly smooth for dirt. Bigest challenge would be carrying gear and water and dealing with some of the softer sections. If it rains you are going to not like it much as the trail can get soft but seems to generally drain reasonably quickly. I would not recommend it on a Ridable Replica as they are not very well made and you would be risking serious mechanical's. We welded then replaced the forks on my friends RR over the years and now the "tire" is almost worn to the rim and the spokes are constantly needing adjustment. We just rode the 5 Bourough Bike tour together this year and he was constantly adjusting spokes, and the headset and the fork ends were needing regular attention.

However with a higher quality machine with a skilled committed rider it would be possible but would be challenging at times with soft or loose surface conditions. Road transitions can be a bit sharp but that big wheel and adjusting speed accordingly it should be fine (nothing as bad as riding up a concrete curb). If you are riding a farthing on dirt and gravel and can manage 30 to 50 mile days then you should be ok. Just rinse and repeat for 240 ish miles and you are good to go.

http://www.63xc.com/erikf/highwheel.htm

This is an old article about my friend for reference. Sadly the Edlee in the top picture is the one that got wrecked when Erik got hit by the car and I haven't gotten an chance to fix it since I moved out of NY after the trade centers came down. Plus fixing a taco'ed close to 50" wheel with glued tire/spoke nipples is not an easy job. We are planning on riding the KATY this fall or spring but he will probably be on my 80's Ibis not a Farthing.

If you do ride the trail please post. I'm sure Erik would love to hear about it and would possibly like to give it a try when he gets his new bike.

OrdinaryTim,

There is a journal entry by someone who rode a penny farthing on the Katy trail on https://www.crazyguyonabike.com. If you go there and search 'penny farthing Katy trail" you may gain some insight from their Katy ride.

I live on the trail between Pilot Groves and Boonville. I would LOVE to know what day you will come by here so that I can see your bike!

If you have been reading the PennyFarthing World Tour and the guys riding to Sedalia and thought "that looks like fun" then absolutely do the KATY. It is mostly well packed crushed and pea sized limestone that seems to drain well over a hard packed 100 year old railroad bed. When dry the surface is typically very hard with only a couple of sections of recently applied loose stone. When wet the upper layer gets soft and slows you down but it wasn't deep muck on our trips. There are no real obstacles other than low branches. The hills, such as they are, are train graded and gentle. The highest point on the trail is under 1000' so no real elevation. The state seems to do a great job of maintenance on the trail. In season flush toilets and potable water are very nice.

On my most recent ride I did think an Ordinary KATY trip would be just the sort of thing Erik would be interesting in doing. The KATY is probably in better shape than most of the roads from the late 1800's, and with proper planning you could do the trip with a minimal amount of gear due to reasonably available food stops and the very handy planning resources on this web site. Logistically the shuttle might take a little work due to the size of the bike but otherwise I think it would be a great adventure.