Interesting and Unusual Bikes You've Seen

[Riggers]

Methinks you haven't read the article?

They are 3D renderings of bicycles based on people's drawings-from-memory of what a bicycle looks like (it turns out that people are surprisingly bad at remembering how a bicycle fits together).  For once it's not designer cluelessness that's at fault.

SCIENCE: https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/~rlawson/cycleweb.html

Ha ha! Methinks you are right Kimmers. Quick scan. Get the jist, then jump in with a comment!

[Chris N]

Last weekend, a very early Proflex full suspension MTB.  Well, not quite full - this was one of the models with elastomer rear suspension and a Girvin Flexstem up front.  Looked like it was quite well used, but looked after.

[Riggers]

^
I had one of those too. Steel frame. Sadly the frame cracked around the bottom bracket area.

[JonBuoy]

A bit like this one spotted a couple of weeks ago outside Loughborough Tesco ?

[Wobbly John]

In the absence of an 'Interesting and Unusual Bikes You've Seen for sale' thread, there's one of Obree's bikes for sale on Ebay again... 

[fuzzy]

Today, for a little while, I got to play with this beastie-

Photo0267 by fuzzy4130, on Flickr

Had a go on one of those at York last year.  It does wicked endos.  Sadly there weren't any Sands Of Doom to hand to really test it out on.

My chum Mr Hill has one, which he brought to Battle Mountain last year.  Wasted on the motel car park...

A ride on a Beastie is never wasted, no matter where it is. A severe case of underutilisation maybe but never a waste.  Having said that though, I could say that about any time I go out on my carbon fibre Wilier

[Mr Larrington]

It's even more a waste of potential given that Mr Hill hails from suburban Ohio, but then he has Lots of Money which is surely better wasted spent supporting the artisans of Falmouth than those of Zuffenhausen or Maranello.

[Bledlow]

Matching his & hers yellow Thorn Nomads, complete with him & her riders, & Ortlieb panniers & bar bags which matched except for colour. IIRC his were red & hers were green.

Second sighting, the first being last weekend in the same spot going in the opposite direction. I think they probably live nearby & have just spent a week touring.

[Ham]

Only a video, mind https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKICMEYDkbw

[giropaul]

A chrome Carlton track bike with Airlite hubs, Chater Lea cranks and inch pitch block chain. Seen in my garage after a friend said he was running out of storage room and thrust it upon me.

Now interested as to whether it meets the specification for the Olympic velodrome, which might lead to riding there.

Bottom bracket height should be fine, probably 6 1/2 cranks, if so all ok. New tyres will be needed, old rubber goes hard, and therefore slippy. The late Bob Maitland fitted some lovingly kept Dunlops for a Manchester vets worlds, and promptly slid down the banking every time he got off the cote.

[Cudzoziemiec]

I saw a Circe Helios on Monday, with dad and little daughter aboard. The first I've seen in the wild, I think, other than Butterfly and Nye's (which doesn't count as "wild" really, but certainly real life!)

[Auntie Helen]

[LittleWheelsandBig]

A chrome Carlton track bike with Airlite hubs, Chater Lea cranks and inch pitch block chain. Seen in my garage after a friend said he was running out of storage room and thrust it upon me.

Now interested as to whether it meets the specification for the Olympic velodrome, which might lead to riding there.

Bottom bracket height should be fine, probably 6 1/2 cranks, if so all ok. New tyres will be needed, old rubber goes hard, and therefore slippy. The late Bob Maitland fitted some lovingly kept Dunlops for a Manchester vets worlds, and promptly slid down the banking every time he got off the cote.

New tyres were on the cards anyway but point noted.

It seems that the Lee Valley velodrome has specific requirements regarding tyres (e.g. no Michelins) and even get upset about cogs on double-sided hubs. https://ebookings.leevalleypark.org.uk/docs/track-clothing-spec.pdf The accreditation process seems very drawn out, particularly if you can't get to sessions during a working week.

[giropaul]

A chrome Carlton track bike with Airlite hubs, Chater Lea cranks and inch pitch block chain. Seen in my garage after a friend said he was running out of storage room and thrust it upon me.

Now interested as to whether it meets the specification for the Olympic velodrome, which might lead to riding there.

Bottom bracket height should be fine, probably 6 1/2 cranks, if so all ok. New tyres will be needed, old rubber goes hard, and therefore slippy. The late Bob Maitland fitted some lovingly kept Dunlops for a Manchester vets worlds, and promptly slid down the banking every time he got off the cote.

New tyres were on the cards anyway but point noted.

It seems that the Lee Valley velodrome has specific requirements regarding tyres (e.g. no Michelins) and even get upset about cogs on double-sided hubs. https://ebookings.leevalleypark.org.uk/docs/track-clothing-spec.pdf The accreditation process seems very drawn out, particularly if you can't get to sessions during a working week.

Same everywhere for accreditation. What is less well known is that nowadays accreditation "lapses" if you don't use that particular track for a few months. My Manchester accreditation lapsed with no warning, before then it was a once-only requirement.
I have taken the view that unless I wanted to seriously race on the track again ( with all the costs of travel and new carbon kit) I'll stick to the odd club session, that don't usually need any accreditation.

[LittleWheelsandBig]

Really? Bloody awkward to get accredited, lapses if you don't ride at that track for a few months, non-transferable between tracks and little or no account taken of previous experience. Is BC actively trying to stop people riding the track, except for those actually in the national squad?

[Vince]

I saw a Circe Helios on Monday, with dad and little daughter aboard. The first I've seen in the wild, I think, other than Butterfly and Nye's (which doesn't count as "wild" really, but certainly real life!)

We saw one on Friday in Henleaze, perhaps the same one.

[hatler]

I saw a Circe Helios on Monday, with dad and little daughter aboard. The first I've seen in the wild, I think, other than Butterfly and Nye's (which doesn't count as "wild" really, but certainly real life!)

We saw one on Friday in Henleaze, perhaps the same one.

I saw one in Richmond Park last week. Matching jerseys for mum and dad, kid in a kiddy seat and a trailer with a mahoosive hard case box on it. Very cool.

[Mr Larrington]

Look at the state of that chain!  Tch!

[Kim]

Scoring well on cable-ties though.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Interesting spokes.

[Cudzoziemiec]

A Klein mountain bike in orange, mostly. I swear it had a hinge in the middle. Did Klein make a folder?

[tiermat]

A Klein mountain bike in orange, mostly. I swear it had a hinge in the middle. Did Klein make a folder?

That would be a Mantra. Rear suspension, not a folder.

[Cudzoziemiec]

Yes, that was it. Thanks. Like this:

[Kim]

Fatbike-shaped-object.  Being ridden along the pavement in Northfield by a kid in his early teens.

[Torslanda]

Flat terrain presumably. The first hint of up around here and they're walking . . .

Something to do with the bike weight being in excess of 25 kilos