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Freakbikes, choppers, funnybikes, clownbikes, kustoms, tallbikes, swingbikes, lead sleds, chunkbikes, trashbikes, mutant bikes, tallbike jousting, cargo bikes, tallchoppers, and frankenbikes. This is a record of human-powered creativity in Chicago.


[home]


[bikes]
-'52 freakin'-
-vintage p-cola freakin-
-zany bikes of redmoon ii-
-zig anime-
-australia freakin'-
-rat patrol russia-
-vintage freakbikes ii-
-skunk's cloudbuster-
-bikes of burning man 07-
-pedal-powered crane-
-rat patrol belgium-
-jet rides-
-fat boy's bikes-
-vintage freakbikes-
-Steinlauf family 1920's-1960s-
-afghanistan tallbikin'-
-india tallbikin'-
-spain freakin'-
-not hard enough-
-porno squad-
-grillbike/drumbike-
-chicagofreakboat-
-pushmepullyou-
-green machine-
-rolling bonfire-
-scrounger-
-the human television network-
-zany bikes of redmoon-
-*shrug*-
-fatback bomber-
-WTF?-
-two-wheeled tank-
-precious cargo-
-showerbike-
-ghana's national tallbike-
-twang bang-
-electro-rat-
-trampoline trailer-
-san fran freakin'-
-wooden packrat-
-the loserbago-
-foley freakin'-
-n'awlins freakin'-
-schwinn cycle truck-
-question-
-the bike formerly known as the white elephant-
-abigail-
-trashbike 1-
-glowbike-
-chopsicle-
-reCycle-
-UV chopper 2-
-handcycle-
-crimebike-
-mightybike-
-gateway drug-
-lee's bent 1-
-trout lake freakin-
-tiger-
-angel-
-UV chopper 1-
-pipe bomb-
-unicyclin bear-
-a work in progress-
-the chopper-


[rides]
-pride 07-
-death of a tallbike-
-st ratrick's day 07-
-guerilla floatilla 07-
-st. ratrick's 07-
-bike kill IV-
-hootenanny 06-
-ratification 06-
-5th annual st chino's run-
-sweethearts build day-
-madison art bike parade 06-
-slaughterama 06-
-guerilla flotilla 06-
-st ratrick's day 06-
-the buurn, maaaaan 05-
-rat rides 2005-
-black label bike kill iii-
-pedal pushers-
-ratification 05-
-Guerilla Flotilla 2005-
-St. Ratrick's Day 2005-
-2nd Annual St. Chino's Run-
-rats on the mass-
-gimp haulin'-
-ratatistas!-
-rat patrol vs. human television network-
-monkey tag ride-
-stockyards ride-
-build day 112004-
-magic bean ride-
-puke ride-
-ratification 04-
-rat rides 2004-
-rat race 04-
-clunker classic III-
-ghana freakin'-
-st. ratrick's day 03-
-the stingray kids-
-may day 2003-
-the scallywags come to chicago critical mass-
-a rat retreat to the redneck riviera-
-a visit from the BLBC-
-rat rides 2003-
-rat rides 2002-

[Miscellany]
-can't you read?-
-trashcastle-
-rat trikes-
-scratch-made arc welder-


[lexicon]


[links]

Email and Submissions: johnny@rat-patrol.org



Trampoline Trailer



Working as a bike valet* at this summer's Taste of Chicago, I met these two dudes (one of them even had one of those bikey names, like "Crank" or "Skitch") who were traveling around the country with their homemade trailers, making money hauling people around at festivals and such. They had it down to a science, swapping out 20" wheels as though they were disposable, breaking chains on their mountain bikes, and hustling as much as they could before the cops kicked them out for not having a mobile vendor's license. In a ratty way that shames even the Rat Patrol**, one of the trailers was cobbled together from a chopped-up trampoline that Torque or Lube had found in the alley:



*it was nice, I parked bikes and got paid to see a Kenny Rogers concert.

**it takes a special kind of person to find a broken trampoline and make money from it.