Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
Reload this Page >

Now this is a race I'd like to try -- Figure 8!

Search
Notices
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear "I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft...As for me, give me a fixed gear!"-- Henri Desgrange (31 January 1865 - 16 August 1940)

Now this is a race I'd like to try -- Figure 8!

Thread Tools
 
Search this Thread
 
Old 06-26-15, 12:29 PM
  #1  
Unkle Rico
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Unkle Rico's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: dEnVeR
Posts: 1,682

Bikes: CENTURION / LOOK / Bianchi

Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts
Now this is a race I'd like to try -- Figure 8!

https://www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/stories/1331731500078/red-bull-mini-drome-nyc-fixed-gear-bike-race-figure-8-track
Unkle Rico is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 12:29 PM
  #2  
prooftheory
pro in someone's theory
 
prooftheory's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Las Cruces, NM
Posts: 3,236

Bikes: FTP

Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
That was much less exciting than the version I pictured in my head.
prooftheory is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 01:02 PM
  #3  
SquidPuppet
Calamari Marionette Ph.D
 
SquidPuppet's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2013
Location: Coeur d' Alene
Posts: 7,861

Bikes: 3 Chinese Gas Pipe Nerdcycles and 2 Chicago Electroforged Boat Anchors

Liked 33 Times in 26 Posts
Figure eight?

Without the potential for collisions, that was a huge waste of my viewing time.
SquidPuppet is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 01:47 PM
  #4  
T13
Senior Member
 
T13's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: CLE-OH
Posts: 1,337

Bikes: '84 Basso Pista, Masi Heinz '57 SS beater. Couple Stingrays...

Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
What did that hair farmer mean by "an homage to the messenger championships of the 90's"?
T13 is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 02:01 PM
  #5  
Unkle Rico
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Unkle Rico's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: dEnVeR
Posts: 1,682

Bikes: CENTURION / LOOK / Bianchi

Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts
"...John Englar was inspired by the New York punk scene in the ’80s—where kids soaked the streets with piss, started street fights, and blew through lights around the city; where freaks and outcasts thrived and clubs held dank shows full of moshing bodies. Englar and a bunch of his buddies wanted to super-charge their scene in Toronto, so they started by hosting a Halloween bash at their warehouse in ’89. Participants would go through a prison-like barbed-wire fence to get to the race, where they’d find themselves amid the tried-and-true formula that his crew came up with to focus on bikes, beers and bands. The guys didn’t shy on a damn thing, and the early bashes sound gnarly as hell: Kegs sat in BFI dumpsters filled with ice, and punk bands provided the soundtrack (one year even saw Run DMC perform). Eventually, with the help of his friends and a tobacco sponsorship from Dunhill, Englar ended up building a figure-8 velodrome (the Human Powered Rollercoaster), which still stands to this day, albeit gathering dust in storage. With a friend who owned a bike shop that sponsored prizes, Englar says they were just “trying to sell some T-shirts, make some money, have a ****load of fun and have a wicked party on Halloween.” The first couple of years were pretty mellow, Englar notes, but by ’92 on Ontario Street, Englar and his friend Red Nick began to hold true to the triple-B formula and brewed the beer themselves. “That was the ****ing ****,” Englar says."

Human-Powered Rollercoasters ? a Brief History of the Alleycat Race | SLUG Magazine

Originally Posted by T13
What did that hair farmer mean by "an homage to the messenger championships of the 90's"?
Unkle Rico is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 02:09 PM
  #6  
T13
Senior Member
 
T13's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2014
Location: CLE-OH
Posts: 1,337

Bikes: '84 Basso Pista, Masi Heinz '57 SS beater. Couple Stingrays...

Likes: 0
Liked 3 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Unkle Rico
"...John Englar was inspired by the New York punk scene in the ’80s—where kids soaked the streets with piss, started street fights, and blew through lights around the city; where freaks and outcasts thrived and clubs held dank shows full of moshing bodies. Englar and a bunch of his buddies wanted to super-charge their scene in Toronto, so they started by hosting a Halloween bash at their warehouse in ’89. Participants would go through a prison-like barbed-wire fence to get to the race, where they’d find themselves amid the tried-and-true formula that his crew came up with to focus on bikes, beers and bands. The guys didn’t shy on a damn thing, and the early bashes sound gnarly as hell: Kegs sat in BFI dumpsters filled with ice, and punk bands provided the soundtrack (one year even saw Run DMC perform). Eventually, with the help of his friends and a tobacco sponsorship from Dunhill, Englar ended up building a figure-8 velodrome (the Human Powered Rollercoaster), which still stands to this day, albeit gathering dust in storage. With a friend who owned a bike shop that sponsored prizes, Englar says they were just “trying to sell some T-shirts, make some money, have a ****load of fun and have a wicked party on Halloween.” The first couple of years were pretty mellow, Englar notes, but by ’92 on Ontario Street, Englar and his friend Red Nick began to hold true to the triple-B formula and brewed the beer themselves. “That was the ****ing ****,” Englar says."

Human-Powered Rollercoasters ? a Brief History of the Alleycat Race | SLUG Magazine

Ooooh I forgot about the rollercoaster. I always forget about Toronto, and that scene up there.
T13 is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 02:27 PM
  #7  
Unkle Rico
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Unkle Rico's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2013
Location: dEnVeR
Posts: 1,682

Bikes: CENTURION / LOOK / Bianchi

Likes: 0
Liked 10 Times in 10 Posts
Well, it is in Canada afterall
Unkle Rico is offline  
Old 06-26-15, 10:02 PM
  #8  
Hothead286
Senior Member
 
Hothead286's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: St. Louis, MO
Posts: 371
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by prooftheory
That was much less exciting than the version I pictured in my head.
I was picturing a demo derby figure eight. Maybe with football pads? I feel like this is a missed opportunity.
Hothead286 is offline  
Old 06-27-15, 10:02 AM
  #9  
SpeshulEd 
Senior Member
 
SpeshulEd's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: Phoenix, AZ
Posts: 8,088
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 5 Posts
__________________
Hey guys, lets go play bikes! Strava

SpeshulEd is offline  
Related Topics
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
JeffOYB
Cyclocross Racing
3
02-12-14 12:16 PM
PDX Reborn
General Cycling Discussion
0
03-12-13 10:29 PM
letitsnow
Professional Cycling For the Fans
6
05-19-12 09:25 PM
carleton
Singlespeed & Fixed Gear
10
01-21-12 11:28 PM
ManMachine
Road Cycling
4
07-11-11 07:31 AM

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off



Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service - Your Privacy Choices -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.