What were high-wheelers?

A high-wheeler was an early type of bicycle that had pedals attached to its front wheels, just like tricycles. To give high-wheelers greater speed, bike designers kept enlarging the front wheels, some of which measured up to 64 inches (163 centimeters) across. Known as “high-wheelers,” they were quite dangerous to ride—bicyclists couldn’t touch the ground with their feet when they stopped, and they often fell forward over their handlebars when they hit bumps. A high-wheeler was also hard to balance because it had only one rear wheel, not two.