Not planning on making one with a Schlumpf then (is that against the spirit?)
Good idea on the steam punk. We did do one of the Pennys in browns.
They dont allow gearboxes. There are certain rules for the racing that we much conform to. >48", >60 spokes, Solid tyre and no brakes.
Roger
Just out of interest, how do the solid tyres work out on the roads? I’d imagine that a solid tyre on a big wheel unicycle would be treacherous to ride on roads? Yet the Penny Farthings are clearly going very fast indeed and seemed untroubled by the inevitable road bumps that would presumably cause big issues on a solid tyre unicycle.
They are skitty and not brillent. The ride is hard and uncomfortable. The corners are scary (I found this specially so).
The tyres do slip sometimes and also come of the rims at speed sometimes. Crashes are hard and painful.
hmmm, unicycling is my sport. I will keep this one as my reserve sport. 
Roger
So, for the unicycle.com Penny Farthings, were you not tempted to have a pneumatic tyre option, or, is there in fact going to be such an option?
Personally, from what I’ve read of the old penny farthings, i’ve got a healthy respect for them- too many stories of riders coming off the front and face planting due to the bars trapping their legs.
Interesting that you mention the tyre coming off- there’s a bit of a classic video that I’m guessing you’ll have seen, where that happens-
I think the idea was that he’d put his legs on top of the bars so, in the event of a problem, he wouldn’t have them trapped under the bars?
It’s nice to watch stuff like that occasionally, as it makes unicycling look like an eminently sane activity in comparison 
There was not really an option on going for a pneumatic tyre on the Penny Farthings. It would also take away one of the key things about the Penny… and you would not be able to race on it then either.
The tyres we use would not have the problem shown on the video, different constuction and don’t have the problem of growning when they get hot. Definately scary, he was motoring as well! We are using tyres made by the Green Tyre Company in Middlesbrough.
Roger
So not completely solid then?
no, it is completely solid. It is just not constructed like the version in the video. The Green tyre company one has two nylon cords that hold it together tightly on to a standard rim. The other 2 methods I have seen use a tube of rubber that has either a spring or a wire in them. These are fitted to an unclinchered rim.
Roger
Oh! I’d have thought there might be an advantage to their microcellular tyres without any significant downsides, which would presumably also be legal for racing (surely it only says tyres musn’t be pneumatic - or is it specific about them being completely solid?)
Less treacherous than uncomfortable. You feel every nuance of the surface you’re riding on. Not as dangerous, unless you were trying to race it at high speeds with guys like Scott Wilton. But don’t expect any advantage from a skinny, solid tire; they weigh more than today’s 36" wheels.
My own big wheel (45") uses wheelchair rubber. This is in the form of a mostly-solid tube, with a hole down the middle for a thick piece of stiff wire. The tire mounting process involved two trees, a come-along, lots of DW-40 and safety glasses. You cut the rubber to a length several inches longer than the circumference of the rim, then get the wire really tight with the come-along. A spacer is used to hold an opening while the rubber is all squeezed onto the rim. then you remove the spacer, turn the wheel 180 degrees to lock the two ends of the wire together, and cut the excess off. Then the WD-40 and lots of manual labor are used to work the rubber ends together over the doubled-up wire bits. When done properly, you won’t feel a bump at the join. That was the Ken Fuchs method, which he learned from Tommy Miller.
Because unicycles can turn pretty hard and be leaned pretty far over, you want a really tight tire. Generally I think it needs to be tighter that it would for a penny-farthing, especially if you use that video as an example. In fact, the best feature of my 45", aside from its visual impact, is doing spins and pirouettes on it. Pneumatic 36" tires are very spin-resistant; they are much better at going straight. On a hard tire big wheel, you can curve, swoop, do frontspins and backspins all you want. That’s what makes mine an excellent parade unicycle. That and the fact that you can then zoom back to retrieve the car afterward!
I do not consider my big wheel to be dangerous going around corners, unless I’m going really fast. Then it’s already dangerous before you start turning; it’s a heavy cycle! Mine is made from old Schwinn tubular 1 3/8" rims, plus the heavy wheelchair rubber, plus lots of long spokes, plus an all-steel Schwinn-style frame and Schwinn seat. I think it weighs 28 lbs. But it grips just fine on (clean) pavement. The only thing you have to worry about is hitting a round rock or something. Skinny as the tire is, it does happen from time to time!
Here’s a picture of my 45", being ridden by that very, very fast French racer that came to U-Games in 2010.
That’s a nice looking unicycle
The reason I asked if it was a bit treacherous was cos I’ve personally ridden on a 28" with a skinny tyre to do a comparsion with my 29-er (same rim but with a fat tyre) and found that the skinny tyre was not so much less comfortable, but just dodgier to ride as little holes/pebbles in the road would throw you off, whereas the fatter tyre 29-er just rolled over them unhindered.
I Know Mike Fule had a couple of unis with ultra skinny tyres and enjoyed the different type of riding where he’d have to keep a lot of focus and spotting and negotiating/avoiding road defects that a normal tyre would just roll over.
So I was wondering if the same issue would be present with either a penny farthing, or, with a unicycle like yours which seems to be a penny farthing minus the rear wheel and handlebars.
What are frontspins and back spins?
Yes, what you said on the avoidance of smaller objects and debris in your path. Smaller stuff can have an effect on you, probably in proportion to the narrowness (and hardness) of your tire.
Frontspin/backspin is a trick where you “flick” the unicycle into the opposite direction, with minimal loss of your riding momentum in the line you are following. So while the wheel makes a little “spike” out to the side, if it’s done well it just looks like you flicked around to face the other way, without stopping.
John, do you find that the skinny wheel is badly affected by road camber? Is your solid tire similar in shape to standard 23mm road bike tires (i.e. pretty round)? I’m tinkering with narrow, solid tires and finding camber the biggest problem.
Sam
I’m not aware that my big wheel is affected by road camber. That is to say, it doesn’t seem to bother me. Note that I don’t ride it like I ride a 36"; I’m generally not going in a strait line, especially in a parade.
The tire’s cross section is round, at least when the tire is new. Mine is worn, so it’s more of an ellipse shape; less round now. The rim also rides fairly low to the ground, and occasionally snaps small rocks away from me if I ride over them just right. That tends to make little divots in the rim, which can then scrape up your legs if you turn or stop too hard.
I would like to be there on one wheel next year, if it should turn out to be an option.
Actually, I guess it could have been fun with a support wheel too, but I dont have the right equipment… yet…
Cato
‘Include me in’. What better way to see the event than also taking part in it!
I’d be up for it in principle, travel arrangements and time allowing. I’m not normally much of a road unicyclist (that’s what bikes are for!) but I really enjoyed racing at Warwick, and the marathon + 10k at unicon in Denmark.
If it happens I’ll make the effort to be available.
Rob
I rode a 42" hard rubber uni 500 miles across Minnesota awhile ago…OUCH is all I can say. Note that this was before 36" air tires.