Old fashioned bike brings silliness and joy to Kansas City

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Since April, some lucky people in the Kansas City metro have seen a rather tall man riding a very tall bicycle.

His name is Layton and if you stopped and watched as he walked by, he says, that’s the point.

“There’s no gears and you’ll notice there’s no breakage which is kind of scary,” Layton said.

He bought the bike after seeing someone else on a very tall unicycle and thought he would find a single bike a little easier to ride.

The penny farthing he bought came from Colorado and is a modern reproduction of a bicycle that was last popular in the late 1800s. The oversized wheel was once the best way to help riders move faster before of better bike technology and more gears are becoming more common.

One hundred and fifty years later, the big wheel is just what makes Layton stand out so clearly.

“The reactions are priceless,” Layton said. “Right away, I got the ‘OMG look’ on my face from someone driving by.”

But, historically accurate wheels forced him to find an Amish buggy repair man when the dark blew out his rear tire.

“Is that ridiculous? 100%,” Layton said. “I have been accused of being eccentric and they are not wrong.”

Layton moved to the metro after growing up on a farm in far western Kansas. After years of isolation in one way or another, the point is to be seen, even by the naysayers.

“I got the old punch or, ‘Darn hipsters,'” Layton said.

So if you see Layton riding around, he wants you to call him. Return if you can, and even if you don’t, you’ll join the growing community of people who have to look twice to make sure they really saw what they thought they saw.

“It’s okay to do something a little silly and we should indulge every once in a while,” Layton said. “I mean, I’m the only one in danger up there. Enjoy it. Enjoy the show!”