'52 Freakin
Ray sent me this scan from the Bicycle Journal of 1952, quoting the LA Examiner.
Thanks Ray!
Vintage P-cola Freakin'
submitted by Nate the Writer
Nate writes: A friend of mine bought this in Pensacola Florida after every single rat in Nashville refused to sell him one!
Just goes to show, that a freakbike can't be bought, only made.
Back around 2003 me and my cousins made a few tallbikes down in Gulf Shores, AL (see the CFB post) and eventually they all got stolen. While Pensacola is nearby, this isn't one of them. This is clearly a flip-frame bike made in the 1960's after the Popular Mechanics article came out (see the CFB post). Wonderful to see this piece of freakbike history, and I hope Nate's friend is riding this thing around!
Extra Pensacola note: Folks have told me that there's another Payphone, a Paula Payphone, who is from Pensacola but now lives in Minneapolis. Seeing as my family is from the same area we just might be related! It's a long shot but if anybody knows Paula Payphone I'd love to get in touch with her.
Zany Bikes of Redmoon II
Redmoon has long loved the whimsy of pedal-power. Recently they've cataloged some of their food-service bikes in a page that advertises them for rent.
These aren't nearly all of their pedal-powered contraptions, not even including the previous posts with the red moon symbol in the sidebar. There's also a trike that distributes little paper doves, a bike with an animated running lion, and endless other strange automata.
Vino Machino
Here's the updated wine serving bike. The umbrella spins via flexible driveshaft and the decanter allows the rider to serve glasses of wine.
Piston Platter
This bike is designed to ride though a banquet with various dishes on the platters, which rise up and down as the bike moves.
Silverware spinner
Silverware Spinner
As the name suggests, the silverware on this bikes spins as the rider pedals.
