Interesting and Unusual Bikes You've Seen

[grams]

Disc mount is far too proper. They come with a ring (in two halves) that clamps the sprocket to the spokes, because everything about them is a horrible bodge.

I presume in this country they're bought for fun / teenage dickery rather than useful commuting function, though there may be some part of the world where they're actual transport.

[Cudzoziemiec]

This one seemed to be on student commuting duty, though of course that in no way precludes teenage dickery.

[MattH]

And, of course, blatantly illegal (unless the owner has gone through a lot of hoops and got it registered as a moped with a numberplate, insurance etc).
No excuse for the police not to stop that for a look,  whereas an iffy electric bike is a bit more work to show it is illegal.

[Cudzoziemiec]

A Marin road bike with upside down handlebars. The drops were "ups" rising above the stem, the brake levers had the hoods in the normal place but where upside down. Effectively the entire handlebar set up had been inverted.

[Kim]

A Marin road bike with upside down handlebars. The drops were "ups" rising above the stem, the brake levers had the hoods in the normal place but where upside down. Effectively the entire handlebar set up had been inverted.

This is known as "DUI bars" in USAnia.  It being the minimal-effort means making a shed-found road bike vaguely acceptable as a means of transport when you lose your driving licence.

[Cudzoziemiec]

AIUI dui bars are just drops raised to a much higher angle but still the right way up. These were upside down.

[MattH]

They used to be a relatively common sight, flipped upside down. I guess nowadays the old shed-bike is more likely to be a MTB-shaped object rather than an old ten speed racer, so less common.

[grams]

I'm sure I've seen both. Upside down is presumably enabled by newfangled stems with removable faceplates, as turning them over on a typical one-bolt quill stem is quite an undertaking.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Good point. It's a trend I associate with the 1970s and '80s, so flipping them over is a modern version enabled by modern tech.

[ElyDave]

Spookily enough I saw just the same thing last Thursday.  I think just twisted upwards rather than flipped

[Mr Larrington]

Van Moof outside Mr Sainsbury’s House of Toothy Comestibles just now.  Big fat Sturmey rear hub with cable Stuffs emerging from it but no visible gear controls.  Do you have to use an app to change gear