Author Topic: Interesting and Unusual Bikes You've Seen (Read 646106 times)

orienteer · « **Reply #2225 on:** 01 September, 2015, 02:42:08 pm »

Interested to see that Japanese utility bikes, Mamachari (short for Mama's chariot), are being imported by an east London shop:
http://mamachari.co.uk

Have ridden these in Japan, very practical, with a nurses lock built in (the sort that projects a bar into the wheel).

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2226 on:** 01 September, 2015, 03:43:10 pm »

Omafiets, mamachari; the next thing is 'daughter bikes'!

Mr Larrington · « **Reply #2227 on:** 01 September, 2015, 09:46:18 pm »

A Claud Butler Electron. i know nothing about said bike it was fitted with period-piece Bluemels mudguards which, improbably, were not cracked, split, or otherwise b0rked.

marcusjb · « **Reply #2228 on:** 07 September, 2015, 04:18:58 pm »

Crossing Putney Bridge - I then stopped to take photos as he sedately rode up New Kings Road. He stopped for photos (including me taking a couple with his camera).

No real reason seemed to be the concept behind the machine. But a little bit of fabulous to cheer up a Monday:

Kim · « **Reply #2229 on:** 07 September, 2015, 08:00:39 pm »

Bet he still gets SMIDSYed, thobut.

marcusjb · « **Reply #2230 on:** 08 September, 2015, 07:17:25 am »

Quote from: orienteer on 01 September, 2015, 02:42:08 pm

Interested to see that Japanese utility bikes, Mamachari (short for Mama's chariot), are being imported by an east London shop:
http://mamachari.co.uk

Have ridden these in Japan, very practical, with a nurses lock built in (the sort that projects a bar into the wheel).

Noah (who owns the shop) is great.

I have a single gear mamachari from him as my shopping bike. Sits out the front of the house year around, gets very little love and attention, but it is just great. Out of all the bikes I own, it probably puts the biggest smile on my face to ride this one - big tyres, upright position, no ability to go very quickly. Love it.

He has recently opened another store (or relocated?) to Walthamstow I believe.

Jakob W · « **Reply #2231 on:** 08 September, 2015, 08:22:33 am »

A very ORANGE old-skool Viking, presumably a kid's bike, as it looked to have 24" wheels. The thing that caught my eye was that it had a Brooks Imperial that looked to have been put through a hot wash - did they make a children's version?

Zipperhead · « **Reply #2232 on:** 10 September, 2015, 02:02:58 pm »

I saw someone commuting on a BMX today. I was coming up behind him (no great difference in our speeds) and I realised that not only was he riding a bmx, but I couldn't see the glow from his knees melting reflecting off the car in front.

He was a fairly petite person, but the bike had a long (but not so long that it looked silly) seatpost and bars that looked a bit wider than normal..

When the traffic stopped us both I rolled up behind him to look and see what sort of gearing he head. Just the one, but the sprocket was only marginally larger than the wheelnuts.

Steveindenmark · « **Reply #2233 on:** 11 September, 2015, 09:32:54 am »

This is my alu Kickbike

My Winter Steel Kickbike

I would like this.

Torslanda · « **Reply #2234 on:** 11 September, 2015, 11:05:07 pm »

That last one looks interesting! Welcome to yacf.

Not that it's compulsory, you understand but new members are encouraged to visit The Office and introduce themselves.

Her you can tell us all about your KickBikes. I for one, would be interested to know a little more...

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2235 on:** 17 September, 2015, 04:11:23 pm »

A non-Rohloffed Thorn in blue with the usual ten-yard steerer and a curious Y-shaped front low rider rack. But what caught my eye was the glitteriness of this:

I think that's the first front and rear sprung saddle I've seen since India!

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2236 on:** 17 September, 2015, 06:41:48 pm »

One of these in Gunners Park, Shoebury.

http://www.greyp.com/gallery

Very not legal - goes up to 70kph, apparently, and the website claims a battery range of 120km on an 80 minute charge.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2237 on:** 17 September, 2015, 07:18:27 pm »

Zoinks! The Blue Thunder model appears to have twin front discs – that's more than most small motorbikes!

Kim · « **Reply #2238 on:** 17 September, 2015, 08:15:20 pm »

Quote from: Wowbagger on 17 September, 2015, 06:41:48 pm

One of these in Gunners Park, Shoebury.

http://www.greyp.com/gallery

Very not legal - goes up to 70kph, apparently, and the website claims a battery range of 120km on an 80 minute charge.

It's got a 250W mode, but who's going to use that? TBH, I'm not sure what the legality of switchable limiting actually is. On one hand, it makes sense for a powerful off-road bike to have a way to easily make it legal. On the other, anything that doesn't involve unplug-the-battery or plug-in-a-laptop-and-reflash-the-firmware levels of faff is too easy to do while riding along.

I'd expect more than 120km from a bicycle with a 1.5kWh battery at legal speeds. Ah, there's a graph that suggests that's with knobbly tyres fitted, and it'll do a bit more on road tyres.

Quote from: Cudzoziemiec on 17 September, 2015, 07:18:27 pm

Zoinks! The Blue Thunder model appears to have twin front discs – that's more than most small motorbikes!

I, for one, would want a 48kg mountain bike to have as much braking as it possibly could!

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2239 on:** 18 September, 2015, 08:56:06 am »

But does it need more than a 100kg motorbike which reaches 100-120km/h? Of course it could be that bicycle disc brakes are less powerful, perhaps because lighter and thinner, than even a cable-operated motorbike disc with big chunky rotor and beefy caliper.

LittleWheelsandBig · « **Reply #2240 on:** 18 September, 2015, 11:30:54 am »

Twin brakes on the fork eliminates any twisting, which can be very useful for a lightweight fork.

jsabine · « **Reply #2241 on:** 18 September, 2015, 12:03:28 pm »

It would be fair, I think, to say that the Greyp Blue Thunder is not equipped with a lightweight fork.

(No doubt reducing twist remains a benefit, of course.)

Wowbagger · « **Reply #2242 on:** 18 September, 2015, 08:49:51 pm »

The example I saw had twin discs at the front, and the forks did not look lightweight. it was fitted with road tyres, though.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2243 on:** 20 September, 2015, 10:25:59 pm »

A recumbent delta trike with underseat steering. And lots of bags. Carrier bags, mostly.

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2244 on:** 12 October, 2015, 02:29:43 pm »

This morning, the tallest tall bike I've ever seen. Saddle must have been six feet off the ground. No idea how it was mountable, rideable, or dismountable, but a guy with dreadlocks (of course!) was riding it – with a couple of panniers on its lower levels.

Reg.T · « **Reply #2245 on:** 13 October, 2015, 08:57:23 pm »

In Bristol on Sunday afternoon - kind of mini-BMX bikes being ridden by some folk of various ages

(College Green)

Cudzoziemiec · « **Reply #2246 on:** 13 October, 2015, 09:03:44 pm »

Looks like they've nicked their five-year-old brothers' bikes and put wheelbarrow wheels on them!

Kim · « **Reply #2247 on:** 13 October, 2015, 09:49:34 pm »

Also looks like they're molishing a fillum, so that may make some kind of sense.

Reg.T · « **Reply #2248 on:** 14 October, 2015, 07:31:22 pm »

Yes, they were being filmed...

clarion · « **Reply #2249 on:** 14 October, 2015, 09:42:02 pm »

Seen a few of these. Bit of a craze going on.