SWIFT WALKING
Very few 200-year-old hobby horses have survived. So replicas were built by cycle enthusiasts to enjoy the sensations that would have been experienced by the original bicycle pioneers. There were no pedals in those days. To move forwards, the rider sat astride of the machine and walked it along, and then coasted once he had built up enough speed. It was known as ‘Swift-walking’.
The interesting thing about this type of machine is that despite it being nearly two centuries since the Hobby Horse was invented, traditional carpentry, blacksmith, saddlemaking and wheelwright skills have not changed that much. So it’s possible to use similar methods of construction to create replicas.
1819 Hobby Horse Replica
26″ Wooden wheels with metal band ‘tyres’
LENGTH: 60″
WIDTH: 23″
HEIGHT: 48″
(Now sold)
There are a few original surviving hobby horses in museums, but they are much too valuable to use on the road. Even if you were lucky enough to own one, you’d hardly want to risk using it if you’d paid a six figure sum for it. So enthusiasts build their own, and many also ride them in vintage events. Below you can see Ivan Krivanak from the Czech Republic; I photographed him in 2011 when we both attended the IVCA vintage cycle run in France.
PINNOCK’S CATECHISM OF MECHANICS
The following explanation of the Hobby Horse appeared in ‘Pinnock’s Catechism of Mechanics,’ published in 1823.
This hobby horse is simply made, and the wheels are good enough for careful use, for example on grass, though I would not recommend it being ridden on hard surfaces.
JOHNSON’S HOBBY HORSE
Denis Johnson (born 1760) was a coachmaker who patented the ‘Pedestrian Curricle’, or ‘Hobby Horse’, in England. His premises were located at 75 Long Acre, London.
It seems that just over 300 machines were built, with production having been estimated at around 25 a week. Two were sold in May 1819 to the Duke of Northumberland for £11 each. The early machines were steered by long, curved, iron rods that connected to the front wheel hub, but most were made with the handlebar operating directly onto the top of the front forks. Johnson managed to improve the hobby horse with iron forks instead of wood, and a curved frame that was more elegant and lighter (around 50 lbs).
Riding schools were established to teach people how to ride this revolutionary new form of independent transportation.
HOBBY HORSE and MACMILLAN
This replica hobby horse has a companion piece, a replica Macmillan, the second machine in the evolution of the bicycle (1839), which used treadles to motivate it. (Pedals were not used until the velocipede was invented in the 1860s).
TO SEE THE 1839 MACMILLAN REPLICA PLEASE CLICK HERE
BICENTENNIAL OF THE DENIS JOHNSON HOBBY HORSE
I worked as the publicity officer at the International Cycling History Conference at The Guildhall in the City of London, so I attended this nearby event celebrating the 200 year anniversary of Denis Johnson’s hobby horse. I photographed enthusiasts riding their (replica) hobby horses to Johnson’s original shop at 75 Long Acre in nearby Covent Garden.
FREEDOM OF THE CITY OF LONDON
As a footnote, at the International Cycle History Conference my friend Paul Adams and I, as creators of bicycle museums, each received the ‘Freedom of the City of London’. This ceremony was first recorded in 1237, and in the early days it entitled the holder of that ‘freedom’ to bring sheep to the Guildhall to sell. I brought my Michaux velocipede and, as you can see, I borrowed a costume that a friend wears to ride his hobby horse. You can see Paul Adams riding his hobby horse (replica) in several of the photos above.
