When the wrong family tradition survives. ![]()
Because itâs in color?
I was mostly thinking of the device in itself, but yes, perhaps a bit. A color photo would make perfect sense, since it is a familly photo album, depicting the passed-on tradition.
(Color photo and the device I wonât name actually historically overlapped, btw. â Not that it really matters.)
At a time when people had to stop breathing for a minute to get a sharp picture. So this is clearly a modern photo. Not sure if the bike itself counts as enshittification, it was considered modern and âa good ideaâ (until someone came up with a better one).
Perhaps itâs just me.
Iâve always considered them to be one of the shittiest ideas ever.
Even chocolate macaroni canât beat this one.
Oh absolutely, itâs just that those didnât replace âbetter bikesâ. Just different bad ones. Like⊠you canât really enshittificate shit. Because itâs already⊠well, literal shit.
Time travel.
. . . . . . .
Too easy. At least in one direction.
This (boneshaker) was invented before the penny-farthing bicycle :
There ![]()
(Perhaps âfartâ has something to do with it.)
Damn. This might be a genuine case of enshittification then.
Penny farthings were an improvement on previous designs[1]: the bigger front wheel meant you could go faster and the ride was more comfortable. It wasnât till the introduction of chain and gears that the design was superseded.
[1]: Safety exceptedâŠ
Yes ; of course. Being able to go faster on a much more dangerous contraption is by anyoneâs eye a clear improvement. ![]()
As for comfort, perhaps, ⊠but didnât people need a ladder and/or assistants to get up on it, and a good fall at destination?
Obviously enough people thought the compromises were worth it!
As for mounting them, I presume that most people who can afford them had servants for that sort of thing â though are they really more difficult to mount than a horse?
Iâve just looked at the Wiki page ( Penny-farthing - Wikipedia) and it suggests that they have a âmounting pegâ to help. The PFs, not the horse, of courseâŠ
The horse doesnât need to run to stand up straight.
. . . . . .
Meanwhile, out of curiosity, Iâve researched the question.
There was a peg, midway the main frame.
Youâd run, pushing the bike forward, then climb up, praying, stepping on this peg.
To get down, it was the same in reverse, blind. (Assuming you made it to your destination.)
Pretty sure it is rather a case of rich people appreciating the height.
This is madness. Iâm definitely team horse.
Well, you probably had to be fairly well off to afford them in the first place!
Guys, buckle up, you wonât believe this. Someone actually fucked up horses and bicycles at the same time! Now thatâs some efficient enshittification! More than 130 years ago.





