Zig Anime
Zig Anime is a French clown troupe that I wanted to feature because they've clearly put a lot of effort into coming up with new and wacky bikes. In addition to the usual clown's compliment of swing bikes, eccentric buckin' bronco bikes, runt bikes, tallbikes, three-wheeled unicycles, and the token flip bike, they've come up with some really stupid designs. And I mean that as the highest compliment:
A swing bike that pivots instead! Dammit I was gonna invent that!
They do the act where they take off and replace the front wheel while riding. The bike comes apart and goes back together in different ways, and they juggle the pieces.
I like this one- an accordion bike.
This is a classic act that goes back to pennyfarthing times. His ordinary falls apart while he rides it, then he rides the pieces as a "ghost chopper".
Hardy har, a giraffe unicycle that walks on two legs.
This triple-high can have frames added or removed as part of the act. He sort of builds the bike as he goes.
This pushme-pullyou is controlled by whoever's weight is on the ground. It can go either direction.
It's kind of hard to tell here, but this is a tallbike you propel by humping up and down. You can see a video of it (and all of their bikes) on their website.
The crown jewel of their collection: A tallchopper with a big spring inside that becomes a lead sled when you bounce on it.
Click here to see videos of their show, where they demonstrate each bike.
Australia Freakin'
I traveled to Australia to bring my bike freakiness to a festival called Corinbank, put on by some of the founders of Rat Patrol Oz. Along the way I was impressed by the variety and cleverness put into the bikes in Australia. There are two prevailing clubs: Rat Patrol Oz located in Canberra, and Tongue of Fire from Adelaide. They didn't even know each other existed when TOF announced a tallbike tournament, so I suggested to RPOZ that they attend and much fun was had.
Here are some of the more impressive bikes from Rat Patrol Oz:
Master Gravity Esquire... it unbolts into two tallbikes and can carry a grill or a sound system.
Schlooong Bike:
Split Pea:
Zeds Dead:
The SS Mitzie (tall amphibious couch trike):
Bebbe Bike:
Here are some of Tongue of Fire's bikes:
Doris Day:
French Horn:
The Golden Gimp:
King and Queen: (this one is not normally ridden that way)
Two Dollar Deal:
Couch Bike:
Three-penny farthing:
Introducing Rat Patrol Russia
Slowly the rat-like tentacles of the Rat Patrol creep around the globe. With the U.S. and Europe an endless battleground, the Rat Patrol has focused on remote and undefended territory, securing the continents of Africa and Australia even as it seeps into the hinterlands of America and Points Continental. It is only natural that the conquistador turn his or her greedy eyes towards the ripe fruit that is Asia.
And what better way to invade Asia than a forced march across eastern Europe? For several months I have been corresponding via long telegram with an agent buried deep within the Northwest Federal District of Russia. He has recently transmitted images of a successful beachhead through which we can access the Eurasian subcontinent. With the recent influx of crappy, flashy department-store bikes from China the iron curtain has fallen and we are poised to peek upon the junky, rusty naked lady within.
And so the Rat Patrol proudly welcomes its newest chapter in St. Petersburg:
These pictures were labeled "Fest", I don't know if that means it's a bunch of Rats who customize storeboughts or if it's just a chopper parade:
Our quest for world domination is in the bag like a hidden jug of whiskey in a shopping-mall Santaland. Now we must train our eyes to listen close for the smell of opportunity in South America and the Orient.
