Friday, October 10, 2008

Seen on Kauai: Retro Skate Bike!




While on my honeymoon on Kauai, I noticed this crazy contraption at a local bike shop. I'm not sure what the story is behind the bike, but here's my best stab at breaking down what makes this bike so interesting:



  1. It has the same paint job as the Cannoli Project did before restoration (rust, with a touch of aged yellow). Therefore, by random, weak, and questionable association, I'm guessing that this is a mid- to late-70's model.

  2. It has a skateboard-type truck and wheels bolted to the front end. That means that to steer or turn the bike, you must lean like you would on a skateboard. Sketchy.

  3. It has a brake lever mounted under the seatpost! I won't go into why this is ridiculous because Bike Snob already has, but the mental image of someone actually using this brake lever while riding says it all.

  4. The notcher average seat angle (if you get my drift) must also facilitate for hand-to-brake-lever clearance.

  5. If you look closely at the first photo, you'll see a massive zip tie locking the rear wheel. This must be to befuddle the thief should they choose to quickly ride it away instead of hiding it under thier trenchcoat. Not that the super awkward riding position (a la circus monkey with cymbals) and theoretically questionable steering wouldn't stop you dead in your tracks anyway...

It is quite unique and portable, however, which make it a perfect fit for the passenger seat of your Gremlin.

2 comments:

-p said...

I can just imagine someone drag racing a Gremlin on that thing. The seat has to be pointed skyward like that because when you brake, the only thing preventing you from doing a header is the friction between your crotch and that quilted vinyl saddle.

-d said...

Yeah, if I were in an emergency braking situation on that thing, there wouldn't be much friction between me and the seat...

(insert crap your pants joke here)