Penny Farthing

Popular in the late nineteenth century, the “high wheel” bicycle is now better known as the Penny Farthing, a colloquial name derived from its one large and one small wheel, like the large British penny and small farthing coins of the time. Penny-farthing bicycles were short lived, quickly replaced by the more modern chain-driven gear mechanics we know today, yet they became a prominent symbol of the Victorian era.

When Kyle Chester announced his newest puzzle box, I wasn’t at all Reluctant to receive a copy. All of his prior designs have been highly enjoyable experiences that are handsomely crafted by his grandfather in their workshop. While you won’t find a bicycle inside Kyle’s newest sequential discovery puzzle box, you will find, if you are quite clever and can follow the instructions provided, two coins that may resolve the name game. Kyle told me about the latest and greatest production from Potentially Perplexing Puzzles.

“So I’m super proud that we’re now onto our 6th puzzle design officially. Which in itself is crazy. I remember back in 2022 when we started with Dual Dial, it felt like a one off thing that was cool to accomplish. Here we are 3 years later with our 6th design under our belts.

One of the key principle ideas for Penny Farthing Box I’ve had in my head for about 2 years now - continuously thinking on how the rest of the puzzle could interact around it. I’d love to say that I remember the exact process, but if I’m telling the truth - I usually use ‘daydream moments’ like the commute home from or to work, or even lying in bed trying to get to sleep as my time to design the puzzles.

Towards the end of last year, just after we’d finished designing and making Gingerbread Jail, I had a complete design in my head of what the Penny Farthing Box should look like, and how it should work. I got to work drawing, and my grandad got to work planing, cutting, drilling and sanding something that resembled our first prototype.

This puzzle (Penny Farthing) I believe is the one that has gone through fewest design iterations since prototyping. There were a few issues that arose that made for some quick and easy alterations, but overall it worked exactly how I wanted it to, and to me feels like something unique that we’ve added to our now portfolio of puzzles. The puzzle is currently in the phase of ‘okay now it’s time to get these into the puzzler’s hands’ which means we’re currently working on doing just that. It’s a real sense of accomplishment, and I love to hear that people are already starting to enjoy the puzzle for the very few we’ve currently sent out.

What’s for the future for PPP?! Let’s just say that work has already begun on a puzzle that will debut towards the end of 2025 - say around December 25th time?!”

Penny Farthing is one of Kyle’s best designs yet, full of tricky mechanisms that interact in surprising and satisfying ways, leading you on to the finale. For the longest time, my copy refused to open or do much at all, aside from the initial discoveries that occur right away but don’t necessarily lead to any progress. Kyle admits the start of this puzzle can be “a little cruel”, and it certainly tricked me. Once you deduce how to begin, the puzzle flows nicely with exploration and discovery, incorporating many steps and tricks to navigate. Before you know it, just like riding a bike, you’re cruising along. It’s a highly enjoyable puzzle both to solve and reset, and feels more sophisticated in some ways than prior PPP designs, perhaps due to a greater number of steps, or a more complex interaction of mechanisms, which are all specific and intentional, with no blind moves.

Bicycle Thief cocktail — Bicycle Thief by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin and Abraham Hawkins

What to toast a fine accomplishment with should never be potentially perplexing puzzle, although in this case a bit of contemplation about bicycles is in order. The drink of the hour is reminiscent of another bicycle cocktail, La Bicicletta, a classic Italian spritz made with Campari, white wine and soda water. Just swap Aperol for Campari and you have what is now the much more famous sibling spritz. I’ve featured both La Bicicletta, and a variation by Jeff Morgenthaler called the Broken Bike, in the past, with other bicycle themed boxes, and they are wonderfully refreshing drinks to enjoy on a hot summer afternoon whether you are in Italy, or elsewhere.

Bicycle Thief cocktail recipe — how to steal a bike

The Bicycle Thief spritz comes by way of Brooklyn, New York, via Dutch Kills, an award winning bar that takes its name from the regional river settled by the Dutch early in New York’s founding. The bar takes its provenance from Sasha Petraske, the legendary barman who helped usher in the cocktail renaissance in New York with his landmark bar Milk and Honey, and the cocktail can be found in the pages of Petraske’s book, Regarding Cocktails. The drink’s name is also a nod to Italian culture, referencing the film from 1948. The refreshing play of grapefruit and soda with the Campari works incredibly well as a highball riff on the Negroni. Be careful, or someone might just try to steal yours. Cheers!

Penny Farthing puzzle box by Kyle Chester and Bicycle Thief cocktail — tandem bike

The Bicycle Thief by Zachary Gelnaw-Rubin and Abraham Hawkins

1 oz Campari

1 oz gin

½ oz lemon

1 ½ oz grapefruit

½ oz simple syrup (1:1)

Soda water

Shake main ingredients with ice and strain into a Collins glass over fresh ice. Top with the soda water. Orange or grapefruit slice garnish.

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