Remembering Concept 1865, a Beautiful Penny-Farthing Updated for Modern Times

BASF SE is a German multinational chemical company that also happens to be the largest chemical producer in the world. BASF was founded in 1865, and on the occasion of its 148th anniversary, in 2013, it created one of the world’s most unexpected (and stunning) electric bicycles: the Concept 1865.

As its name clearly says, Concept 1865 is a concept bicycle, but it’s also a fully functional product at the same time. Since 1865 is also the year when inventor Karl Drais put the first set of pedals on the wooden Dandy Horse, as the penny-farthing was called, BASF set out to create the penny-farthing as it would have been built had man had the same resources as they did. The result is an e-velocipede, an electric penny-farthing that is probably the only one in the world.

Created in partnership with the DING3000 design studio and offered under the motto “Rethinking materials,” the Concept 1865 is built almost entirely with high-performance plastics and specialty foams from BASF, with the exception of the axles, motor, and brakes, which were still made of metal. The idea with it was to showcase the many uses of innovative plastics from BASF. As noted above, what better way is there to show something than to go ahead and just show it?

Penny-farthing, or the ordinary bicycle, paved the way for today’s bicycle, which was then dubbed a “safety bicycle,” to become a global phenomenon. Its popularity was rather short-lived because of the increased risk of injury and even death, directly proportional to the fact that the rider sat atop the front wheel, which was considerably larger than the rear one.

The Concept 1865 also displays this discrepancy in size, though it seems far less grating. Still, the pedals are attached directly to the front wheel, and the rider sits on a removable saddle almost on top of it. Since it’s a modern velocipede, it is pedal-assisted, so there’s a 250 W motor hidden in the hub in the rear wheel. No one would want to go any faster on this thing than the EU-mandated 25 kph (15.5 mph) maximum speed limit, but the choice of motor is due to the fact that the bike was built in Germany. Since it had to be functional, they had to play by the rules and make it legal.

Where the Concept 1865 stands out is the use of plastic to make the ride more comfortable and safer. BASF says that the project showcases 24 innovative uses of plastics and derivative products, from the bearingless all-plastic pedals made of Ultrason or the lightweight, puncture-proof tires made of Infinergy, the first expanded thermoplastic polyurethane, to the Utramid D crank, which withstands high stress from when the rider mounts the bike or rides up steep hills.

The saddle is made of polyurethane foam with a Cellasto spring element for enhanced comfort. Hidden inside the seat is the battery, which will be removed for charging. This way, BASF was saying at the time, you’d always have a clean, dry, and warm saddle, as well as the guarantee that your bike would never be stolen, since no one would dare take it if it was missing this element. A thief who steals a penny-farthing is either ignorant in the ways of penny-farthings or quite familiar with them, so at the end of the day, a missing saddle, with or without a battery, is the last thing they would care about.

The brake hoses were made from Elastollan, which is very wear-resistant, behaves excellently under pressure, and has a tight bending radius. BASF chose to use transparent Elastollan to allow a good view of the oil inside for easier maintenance or to further personalize the bike with a dyed oil.

Replacing traditional lights, the Concept 1865 came with integrated LEDs concealed in the fork, creating something BASF described as “inlaid optical waveguides.” What we’re getting from this is that they made for much cooler-looking and hypothetically more efficient headlights and taillights.

Described as a “link between past and future,” the Concept 1865 e-velocipede was taken to various trade shows throughout 2015, before traces of it were lost. We contacted BASF for the bike’s whereabouts today, and will update the story when and if we get back, but it’s not impossible to imagine it as part of some bicycle collector’s collection.

More than a functional bike and beyond showing what BASF could do with plastics, the Concept 1865 was created as an open invitation to think outside the box, question the status quo, and breed innovation, much like man did back in 1865 with the penny-farthing.