Karlsruhe (dpa / lsw) - Tobias Krieger from Karlsruhe is one of the few active high cyclists in Germany. According to the Historical Bicycles Association, there are a good two handfuls of them. The 60-year-old raves about the peace and quiet during a penny-farthing ride. "It's completely silent. Neither chain nor pinion nor anything else," said Krieger of the German Press Agency.

However, penny-farthings are significantly more difficult to drive than standard models. "The higher the wheel, the harder it is to handle," said Krieger. It is then harder to pedal, it is harder to drive up the mountain and corners are much more uncomfortable. "Especially the reflexes you have as a cyclist are dangerous on a penny-farthing," he said, citing abrupt braking as an example.