Originally Posted by Kinman

High Wheelers are not for the faint of heart. My uncle had a few and tried to teach me how to ride, I did finally get the hang of it but it is tricky. The only suspension is the springs in the seat, hard rubber tires. If you remember back to your days of riding a tricycle, remember you could go much faster by standing on the step between the wheels and pushing with you foot, not unlike riding a skateboard. Like a tricycle there is no brake if you override the pedals which is a highly dangerous technique. On downhill sections where your speed overrides the pedals you can put your legs over the handlebars in case you get in a rut, hit a rock or anything that inhibits the large front wheel from turning, this is where "doing a header" comes from because you will be launched over the handlebars head first, with your legs over the handlebars you can at least hit the ground feet first.