A clown bicycle, freak bike, or circus bike is a bicycle designed for comedic visual effect or stunt riding, often by circus clowns.
Types of clown bicycles BMX bicycle Bucking bike – With one or more eccentric wheels, that is with significant run-out Come-apart bike, or Breakaway bike – Essentially a unicycle, plus a set of handlebars attached to forks and a wheel High wire cycle – A bicycle pedaled along a thin wire Small wheel bicycle Tall bike – Often called an upside down bike or giraffe bike, constructed so that the pedals, seat, and handlebars are all higher than normal Tiny bicycle, or miniature bike Swing bike Sideways bike
Some clown bikes are also fixed gear, with no freewheeling, so that they may be pedaled either forward or backwards. Some are built very small but are otherwise relatively normal. Pedaling an extremely small bicycle is very difficult and usually much slower than walking, so there is little practical advantage to having a bicycle that will fit in one's purse or pocket.
History Soon after their invention in the 19th century, the bicycle was adopted into the circus repertoire. Initially prevalent as group acts, early performers drew inspiration from equestrian circus, or hippodrama, and the art form gradually became a more individual act.
Notable early performers Notable early performers include: Harry French
Dan Canary Lilly Yokoi, bicycle acrobat who performed on a gold-plated bicycle Joe Jackson Sr. Jack Natirboff, “The Bicycle Clown” Baraka Jima Fermouz, Tanzanian clown bicycle performer whose act included tall bikes or "giraffes", as well as miniature bikes. Serge Huercio, BMX performer who trained at the Centre National des Arts du Cirque in Châlons-en-Champagne
See also List of bicycle types Art bike Clown car
References
External links The Clown House, a house in northeast Portland, Oregon, that is home to many clown bikes.