that's CRAZY man CRAZY! I like the chariot races but what was that all about when they ran off to the table grabbed something and then got back in the race.

Boognish

"I wouldn't sell my bike for all the money in the world. Not for a hundred million billion TRILLION dollars!!"

Kjartan

NEED to find out how the race with the tandem bike and the guy in the trailer works. That looks friggin awesome!

waveman216

The sewing one is like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. For the others, you gotta love those with the enthusiasm to improve designs.

3qM

The subtitles are german, but those are tough to read, white on white and all, anybody actually know what it is saying?

Franknbeans

so... where do i buy them?

josecardozo

great clip, the subs in the beginning are german, but the language i have no idea... czech or polish...

smokeonit

@josecardozo:

Here is one from the first clip:
[www.bilenky.com]

Murph

Cool! That last one's a precursor to the rowbike.

morcheeba

@Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy: I hope you're kidding...

chrisaroz

This is fake. Obvious Final Cut Pro. It's probably some viral campaign. At 28 seconds, you can see where the one person is fuzzy around the edges from a bad paste job. At 54 seconds, that's Lance Armstrong. You can see his Live Strong bracelet.

Git Em SteveDave is a poor substitute for LindsayJoy

This does not top "Queenie in trouble"- aka the best video about old-timey dog rape on the internet!

+ Watch video

rudeadly

That video contained nothing I didn't like.

As a side note, weird and crazy maybe. Innovative, yes.

The bikes from earlier in the video that have the people lean back with their legs extended in front of them: I've only seen those within the past 10 years on the streets.

madog

@rudeadly: epic win

Link93

@madog: "that have the people lean back with their legs extended in front of them" those would be recumbents. They have been around for a while (since the early nineteen hundreds) but would be a lot more popular if the UCI had not made them illegal to race. Apparently, they were just too fast for pro cyclists.

james-42

@madog: thats what i was thinking! didnt realize how old the design really was...

@james-42: good to know why they arent more popular...so i guess i take it that when they showed the older white collar job dude out racing professional riders that it wasnt all a bunch of hooowy? awesome...i know what my next bike is going to be! that one at 3:15...jesus it was huge...i'll be able to run over people and do all sorts of crazy shyte!

jrghoull

I liked the one towards the end, the one where the front bike wheel was like attached by a string...

CutePuppyz

Townies ride bikes like those!
We ain't gonna get bikes like those, or the girls next to them.
They're gonna keep callin' us "cutters."
To them, it's just a dirty word.
To me, it's just somethin' else I never got a chance to be.

DeadWriter

Nothing really too innovative, most of the bikes shown seem to be early precursors to today's recumbent bicycles.

[en.wikipedia.org]

dombutchello

@dombutchello: I know what you mean. Take a look at the Wright Brothers' 1903 Flyer; the airplanes we have today are so much better.

Bos'un's Mate

Where's that cop that tackles cyclists?

AJ_Syrinx

@dombutchello: So what you're saying is that they aren't innovative because they "seem to be early precursors to today's recumbent bicycles?"

1. ahead of the times; "the advanced teaching methods"; "had advanced views on the subject"; "a forward-looking corporation"; "is British industry innovative

Clearly you don't have a clue what innovative means...

chrishw

I hadn't realized that recumbent bike tech was that old. Very cool

@Bos'un's Mate: WTF?

tamoko

OK, I've seen the ultimate progression of things to come:

Screw typical bicycles with their multiple gears.
Screw fixed gears with their two wheels.
Screw unicycles with their seat.
The no-seat mono-wheel is where it's at!

And I want one of those mini-wheel recumbents shown in the beginning. They look to be about the same size as a modern folder.

dbc

Ahhh.
Cup o' coffee and some Gizmodo in the morning.

I put off reading this article until this morning just because I thought the video would be cool.

Good choice on my part. -the coffee is also quite excellent.

strider_mt2k

@Boognish: I believe that was some kind of "taxi race" where drivers took their passengers around town to perform specific tasks. Of course, my understanding of Proto-Slavic languages isn't what it used to be.

Wireless Joe

I could only translate about half of the first 2 titles. Something about seeing what I assume are cyclists on the streets.

It's not just the white titles on a light background, but the titles are also fuzzy due to the lo-res image. Combine that with my minimal German skills (it's been a long time since high school) and it's pretty hopeless.

rsquared

Sewing Machine bike looked like it was riding around Buckingham Fountain in Chicago...

google turned up this... [blog.modernmechanix.com]

chicagojohn

It's funny because they're all dead now.

Half off all shafts!

@james-42: Yeah, recumbents are too fast. It has nothing to do with the fact that they don't let the rider shift his/her weight easily, which combined with long wheelbases makes them unsafe for riding in pelotons or heavy car traffic. Nor does it have anything to do with the fact that, due to their relative complexity, that they're far more expensive than comparable uprights, and that recumbent-specific parts, designs and sizing conventions have yet to be standardized.

alpacalypse

Yeah, it's in Czech. I speak it. Anyway, the title is: Strange Road Bikes.

In a nutshell: Many have made strange road bikes over the years. The owners of these bikes get together on this track to show off their inventions. Microcycles, about the size of a scooter.

That was the first part. The second title is: Many on one bike (rough translation, leaving out some bits)

I'm too lazy to translate the rest, but I may later.

WalterBogatov

Ask, and ye shall receive. If the translation below is published or otherwise used publicly, credit to the translator must be given. Here's a rough translation of the video entitled: "1940s Video Shows Off Crazy Bike Innovations" (which is indeed Czech -- the video was captured from Channel 1 on Czech television). I didn't feel like spending too much time on it but this should give you a good overall idea without having to struggle through the white German subtitles. Indeed, this was made during the Nazi occupation of Europe in WWII. Starting with the title screens: (1) Strange bicycles (1943) From time to time, it's possible to witness strange kinds of bicycle on Prague's streets, which the ever-unsatisfied human mind invented with the goal of riding in increased comfort and speed. On the Strasnice (a region of Prague) track, their [the bikes'] owners assembled to show off what they can do... Microcycles, with wheels smaller than a scooter, met with tandem bikes, tricycles, and whatever other names these hybrids may have. (0:58) (2) "Variety" Artists on one wheel (1942) Expertise -- performed by variety artists (performers) -- their masterworks demand careful practice. A 62-year old acrobat teaches a young performer how to ride on a single, large wheel (1:23) Nope. Not that way! (falling off)... (1:58) Another piece of riding mastery... Seems that riding on two wheels isn't so difficult. We'll try it -- and know right away... (2:32) (3) Cycling celebration in Paris (1939) Actually, there were, in fact, two celebrations. One, riding through the streets of Paris, were over 400 tandem bicycles. During the other, bicycles of "all sorts" appeared. (3:36) (4) An Unusual race (1943) For the second time now, drivers of bicycle taxis have organized a race through Paris city streets. The people are fascinated by the spectacle. (4:23) (5) Performing Family on Excursion (1938) From America: straight from New York even... Everyone's pedaling, and yet, mom is able to sew something pretty. (5:01) (6) Rowing bicycle (1937) An interesting invention from Koln on the Rhine. It [the bicycle] is steered with the legs and propelled with the arms. And it works! But, there must have been a snag somewhere, since it never caught on. Translated by: Atley Jonas

HenryMeshuggah

That's deffinantly in German. I'm not quite sure what it's saying but I know for a fact it's German. I've taken 2 years of it.

YakiraCacique

Between each reel I expect some hamster to look over his shoulder and give me a surprised look.

AnnabelleHuman

The only strange thing in the video was the bike wheels with the boots attached in the second part of the film (reminded me of the early version of roller blades). And the giant wheel without a seat (like a unicycle but no seat).
Everything else are things that I can, and do see out on the street and bike paths today. Well, with the exception of the high riding bikes.

CaptCaveman

Bets regards to all Gizmodo readers, Richard

MistyNavision

The Czech language of the reporters sounds a little archaic so feel free to add some 1930s pathos to the English translation: (Weird bicycles 1943) From time to time some weird bicycles can be seen on the streets of Prague, which were made in inventor's desire to move faster and more comfortable. Their owners have met on Strasnice racetrack to show what's new. Microcycles, bicycles smaller than scooters have met with tandems, triplets and velocipedes and god knows what are the names of all those monsters. ("Variatee" (Circus) artists on one wheel 1942) A perfection with which circus artists perform their art requires a lot of training. 62 years old acrobat teaches female circus artist to ride on the big wheel. (Comments:) It doesn't go like that… (she falls from the wheel). Other piece of drive master …It seems that driving two wheels is not that difficult, lets try it and will see… (Bicycle celebration in Paris 1939) Actually, there were two bicycle celebrations (fairs). In the first one, over 400 hundred tandems were driven through the streets of Paris. And in the second one, some really bizarre bicycles appeared… (Strange race 1943) This is the second time Paris bicycle taxi drivers met in the race across Paris. The public has a great interest in the race. (Artistic family on a trip 1938) These pictures are from America, right from New York. All are pedaling while their mommy can sew something nice for them. (Hand-powered bicycle 1937) A strange invention from Koln am Rhein, the bicycle is driven by feet and powered by hands. And it works! But there must have been a problem with it since it did not get popular.

MistyNavision

Hi, yes they are speaking czech but I understand cause I'm Slovak and we have pretty similar language. He says nothing special, most of time he comments what you can see there and names of bicycles, place wher they meet, how is someone teaching to ride... . The last half of movie is from Paris and Germany. Germany subtitles are there because II world war, maybe you know czechoslovakia was divided and czechs were occupied and in that time they should make movies with subtitles.
OK, sorry for my english Im not perfect. :D

naconazov

Did anyone else notice that most of those clips were dated 1943? As in during WW2?

Kodai1

I feel bad for these people. Not only did they have to live in a black and white world, they had to be humiliated by having to do everything on bicycles.
Poor poor 1940s people.

dvheil

@CaptCaveman: Yeah, it was kind of innovative back in the 1940s, no? You know, innovation being like "We've never seen this before" and all.

Elaine Chow

the subtitles are in german but you would need to change the contrast of the vid in order to read them or put them thru babelfish

laurencemulchrone