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Deliveroo rider from Whitstable delivers food on penny farthing

By: Joe Wright jwright@thekmgroup.co.uk

Published: 10:44, 11 October 2021

Updated: 14:10, 11 October 2021

A Deliveroo rider from Whitstable has turned heads by opting for an unconventional mode of transport.

George Heming fancied moonlighting as a delivery man but didn't want to follow the crowd and perform his duties on a regular bike.

Watch George get to grips with the penny farthing

Instead, he borrowed an 1870s penny farthing from a friend and set about picking up and dropping off food orders atop the two-metre-high seat.

The 22-year-old chose the not-so-ideal location of central London as the area to master his delivering skills.

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He said the bike - which has no brakes or gears - was tricky to navigate, and even trickier to operate on the capital's rush-hour roads.

It was, however, a successful shift for the young videographer who managed to get all the orders delivered without complaint.

George, who wobbled around at an average speed of 8mph, said: "Delivering food and riding through London on a penny farthing really does turn heads.

It may have no brakes, but it was all smiles for Whitstable man George Heming as he delivered food on a penny farthing

"I learned to ride the penny farthing inside a large indoor space which was tricky but a whole different story when you're out on the streets, navigating London's rush hour with no brakes.

"It was a real challenge as learning to ride a penny farthing can take weeks, even months.

"The empty bag was quite a weight anyway, so when I reached the restaurant and collected the food, the weight increased further which made it harder to get on and off.

"Luckily, the food made it to the destination in one piece and was still warm."

The penny farthing was the first machine to be called a bicycle when it entered the scene in the late 1800s and was named after British penny and farthing coins.

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Read more: All the latest news from Whitstable

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