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High Wheeler
The second-oldest style of bicycle, the successor to the "boneshaker," and the predecessor of the modern "safety" bicycle."
Before the use of chain drive, bicycles had direct drive. The cranks were directly attached to the hub of the drive wheel. The larger the wheel, the farther the bicycle would move with each turn of the pedals. The diameter of the drive wheel determined the gear of the bicycle. The larger the wheel, the higher the gear.
With a chain-driven "safety" bicycle, you can have any gear you want by selecting appropriate sprockets. With a high-wheel bicycle, the limiting factor is how long your legs are, because you can only pedal a wheel that is small enough for your legs to straddle and reach the pedals throughout the pedal revolution.
The safety bike was first introduced on a commercial scale in 1885, and by 1893 high-wheelers were out of production -- with one exception: children's tricycles, even today, are direct descendents of the high wheeler, only smaller, and with a platform with a rear wheel at either side instead of a single rear wheel..
