PENNY FARTHING RETURNS

For the first time in over 100 years, the sight of people riding around City streets on a Penny Farthing Bicycle may soon become a familiar one. The Midlands-based Hawk Factory Outlet has re-designed the bicycle for the modern market. The bicycle retails at £129.99. The bicycle, of course, can be seen many times in The Prisoner and is used as the Village symbol in the series.

Assistant Manager Dave Hampson said: "You wouldn't buy it, for example, for your daily commute to work and for long distances. I suppose what you could best describe it as, is purely a bit of fun, and that is what people who are buying it think........Retro bikes are proving to be very popular at the moment. We have had things like the chopper coming back, and the Penny Farthing fits into that niche."

The Unmutual is not aware of any plans to add stripy canopies and numbers to the bicycles.

Other Penny Farthing News: Lloyd Scott, best known for completing the London Marathon in a full antique diving suit, has had to halt his latest venture, travelling from Perth to Sydney on a Penny Farthing dressed in a tweed suit, due to an accident. "It's nothing more than hitting a pothole at the wrong speed and angle - simply bad luck", said Mr Scott, who hopes to raise £1.5m for charity when the trip is completed.

Many thanks to Richard Fleury for bringing this news item to our attention.

The news item announced 29/10/2004, Archived 27/1/2005.

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE NEWS ARCHIVE

CLICK HERE TO RETURN TO THE MAIN UNMUTUAL HOME PAGE