# Funny Bike Appreciation thread



## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I just found a bunch of Funny Bike pics


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

*more*

more.......


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

*more*

more.....


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

*more...*

more.....


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

I'm sorry Dave but those are some ugly ass bikes.

Thankfully you ended the string on a high-note. That photo of Rebecca Twigg erased all of those funny bikes right out of my head.


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## Kuma601 (Jan 22, 2004)

Pretty wild pics. 










This one...doesn't seem like there is much frame.


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## foz (Sep 30, 2004)

anyone any idea how many kms that yamaguchi held up for? I can see the chainstays completely separating from the BB at the first small bump!

Thanks Dave, there are a few there that I hadn't seen before. The Merckx/Lotus is one of my all time favourite bikes - it just looks so clean, purposeful and fast, even standing still.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

foz said:


> anyone any idea how many kms that yamaguchi held up for? I can see the chainstays completely separating from the BB at the first small bump!
> 
> Thanks Dave, there are a few there that I hadn't seen before. The Merckx/Lotus is one of my all time favourite bikes - it just looks so clean, purposeful and fast, even standing still.



I've seen a couple of version of the Yamaguchi...It sure doesn't look stiff enough for a Pursuit bike......


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

Dave, they should make holiday cards out of these pics.


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## nayr497 (Nov 8, 2008)

I'm betting that most of these bikes are now in a museum, owned by a collector, or ridden around Brooklyn or LA by someone in tight denim...

Cool photos, thanks for sharing.

The dude on the Pinarello in the TT Rudy Project/Italia helmet...wow, those are some serious legs on that guy. Powerhouse legs for sure.


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## paredown (Oct 18, 2006)

For sure.

Are my eyes deceiving me, or is that 650 rear and a 24" front?


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Thank god the UCI stepped in and brought some common sense into TT bikes.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)




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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

Is that JaJa?


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

And lest we not forget Bike Friday. Funny every time I see it.


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

Think so with what looks like a 57 tooth chainring.


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## bikerjulio (Jan 19, 2010)

Here's a flickr site devoted to these

https://www.flickr.com/groups/[email protected]/

and here is my personal funny bike. I take it out a couple of times a year.


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## crossracer (Jun 21, 2004)

Wow, i had totally forgotten about the Trimble, what a blast from the past. 

And if you cant find the beauty in a funny bike, you arnt looking hard enough. Of course it helps to look at them without glasses like mine, (AKA Hubble JR's) then you can see the beauty.     

Actually there are some serious butt ugly bikes there. BUt thats what makes them fun to look at. 

Bill


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

crossracer said:


> Wow, i had totally forgotten about the Trimble, what a blast from the past.
> 
> And if you cant find the beauty in a funny bike, you arnt looking hard enough. Of course it helps to look at them without glasses like mine, (AKA Hubble JR's) then you can see the beauty.
> 
> ...



Agree...I'd never consider them pretty but it's interesting to see the design development and experimentation..


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

*3Rensho was always one to experiment*

nmnmnmnmn


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## PlatyPius (Feb 1, 2009)

The first 3Rensho kinda reminds me of a backwards Pedersen....


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

This chart is interest.....variations on the diamond frame.....


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## velodog (Sep 26, 2007)

PlatyPius said:


> The first 3Rensho kinda reminds me of a backwards Pedersen....
> 
> Man, a Pedersen is a bike I've been wanting for the last 25 years. I rode one at a trade show for a little bit and it's gotta be the Most comfortable bikes I've ever ridden.


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## foz (Sep 30, 2004)

Dave Hickey said:


> This chart is interest.....variations on the diamond frame.....


Dave, can you post a larger version of that chart? Thanks!


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I wish I could...that's the only size I have


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## brblue (Jan 28, 2003)

spookyload said:


>


somehow the bike looks like a riksha or an ice cream trike . Selling "look" ice cream


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## fasteddy07 (Jun 4, 2007)

Thanks for that thread Dave, great stuff..


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## DannyBoy (Feb 19, 2004)

Don't make me search back for my Roberts funny bike collection post............


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## Richard (Feb 17, 2006)

We've still got two NOS Bertoni "funny bikes" in our shop. One with pristine Campy Super Record and the other with early Chorus. One of these days I'll pull them down and take some pics. And no, for now they're not for sale. After I grabbed the NOS Bertoni TSX frame for myself, the owner of our shop (who happens to be the brother-in-law of the late Ben Lawee - mister Italvega/Univega/Bertoni) decided not to sell the remnants of that legacy.


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## hawker12 (Oct 19, 2003)

Dave,
Great photos, thanks for posting. The scary thing is that I remember almost all of those bikes when they were new and saw many of them at various Interbike events through the years.

Dave, you have a PM


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## spookyload (Jan 30, 2004)

No this not a photoshop, but I can't believe nobody has posted Moser's bike from the hour record attempt in 1985. The funniest bike of all time.


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## troutmd (Sep 7, 2007)

This Winter's project. I plan to do a few 20K TT events in 2011 when completed. The build is generally intended to use period (c. 1989/1990?) correct components, but a few more (hopefully tasteful) treatments for fit/comfort are slated.
<a href="https://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v385/troutmd/?action=view&current=3Renshobefore1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v385/troutmd/3Renshobefore1.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

sweet...................


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

Graeme Obree and his bikes/ positions should make it into this thread.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

awesome... do want any / all of these


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## Carabo (Dec 18, 2009)

Isn't it that, 

Funny bike = Front wheel smaller than rear wheel?


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## RFC (Mar 30, 2008)

This is a great thread. Thank you. I am fascinated by funny bikes. It is interesting that cycling, which is more effected by aerodynamics and wind resistance than any other Olympic type sport, took so long to adopt innovations that do, in fact, have a very significant effect on performance and speed.

Here is my contribution from my collection:

Pre 1995 Look KG196 -- One of the first bikes based on wind tunnel testing, was intended as a road race bike, however, many ended up in TT configuration and there was a TT specific model. Also, there was a funny bike version of the earlier KG96. https://redrumfilm.com/cykelbilleder/Look KG96 TT 800x600.jpg


1987 Team Fuji TT -- A very rideable funny bike with the most beautiful paint job I have seen on a bike. You have to see it in person and rub your hand across it to appreciate it.

1987 Schwinn Prologue and Nashbar variant, both with 24" front wheels and now gone from the collection -- It was well worth the time to build up and ride these two as part of learning about cycling history. Most of the time, the rides were brutal, however, every once in a while when I was warmed up and heading down a flat stretch of road, I would find the zen. Then these two bikes could scream.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

I love that LOOK.... Very nice bike....They are very difficult to find


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

A few more


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## RFC (Mar 30, 2008)

Would one of you be able to give a summary of the cycling regulations as they effected funny bikes. For example, looking at the older steel bikes, in particular, it appears that the ST's and seatposts are relatively far back compared to modern TT bikes. Also, how did the rules change to ban nontypical builds, i.e., curved and sloping tubes, different size wheels, farings, etc?

Thanks


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

RFC said:


> Would one of you be able to give a summary of the cycling regulations as they effected funny bikes. For example, looking at the older steel bikes, in particular, it appears that the ST's and seatposts are relatively far back compared to modern TT bikes. Also, how did the rules change to ban nontypical builds, i.e., curved and sloping tubes, different size wheels, farings, etc?
> 
> Thanks




I don't have a copy of the actual regulations but the following bikes have been outlawed by the UCI

1. Different sized front and rear wheels- bike must have the same size wheels
2. The frame shape has to have a traditional appearance but I'm not sure of the exact wording

I


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

That yellow Look that Dave posted reminded me somewhat of this beauty. It's not really "funny" and it but I might as well show it as not. As I'm in Canada, the maple leaf doesn't harm any -


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## takmanjapan (Mar 24, 2004)

*My Faves*

'Nuff Said


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## DannyBoy (Feb 19, 2004)

*I can't help the blatant repost.*

I've tried to resist, but can't. Here's mine.


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

Miguel Indurain's 1994 Pinarello Espada; not only whacky but the track version won Indurian the 1 hour track record and road version TT bike helped win the 1994-1995 TDF.


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

onespeedbiker said:


> Miguel Indurain's 1994 Pinarello Espada; not only whacky but the track version won Indurian the 1 hour track record and road version TT bike helped win the 1994-1995 TDF.



I've always love that bike....If I remember correctly, that was the bike that ultimately led to the UCI banning that type of frame


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## onespeedbiker (May 28, 2007)

Dave Hickey said:


> I've always love that bike....If I remember correctly, that was the bike that ultimately led to the UCI banning that type of frame


If not "the" bike, it was one of the primary causes. Regardless, by the 1996 Olympics, Miguel Indurain's TT bike, the Pinarello Crono was a much different animal. What is really amazing about this bike is it is made entirely of steel!


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## ssulljm (Nov 2, 2008)

*Don't Forget Me*

I still get lots of chuckles+snickers when out pedaling about.....It's all good, I've got thick skin+ I love my cush bike
Best Holiday Wishes to All


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## Dave Hickey (Jan 27, 2002)

nmnmnmnmnmnm


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