Clown bicycle

A clown on a tall trike, similar to a tall bike.

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 ^[1]

• High wire cycle – A bicycle pedaled along a thin wire ^{[2] [3]}
• 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.^{[ citation needed ]}

History

Soon after their invention in the 19th century, the bicycle was adopted into the circus repertoire. ^[4] Initially prevalent as group acts, early performers drew inspiration from equestrian circus, or hippodrama, and the art form gradually became a more individual act. ^[4]

Notable early performers

Notable early performers include:

• Harry French ^[4]
• Nick Kaufmann  [ de ] ^[4]
• Dan Canary ^[4]
• Lilly Yokoi, bicycle acrobat who performed on a gold-plated bicycle ^[4]
• Joe Jackson Sr. ^[5]
• Jack Natirboff, “The Bicycle Clown” ^[6]
• Baraka Jima Fermouz, Tanzanian clown bicycle performer whose act included tall bikes or "giraffes", as well as miniature bikes. ^[4]
• Serge Huercio, BMX performer who trained at the Centre National des Arts du Cirque in Châlons-en-Champagne ^[4]

See also

• List of bicycle types
• Art bike
• Clown car

References

1. Lederer, Phil. "Wheels of History". SQR Magazine. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
2. Peretsman, Natalie (November–December 2008). "Science under the big top: find out what's behind all those jaw-dropping circus stunts". SuperScience. Retrieved February 16, 2025– via Gale General OneFile.
3. "High Wire Cycle". Imagination Station. Toledo, Ohio. Retrieved February 16, 2025.
4. Jacob, Pascal. "Cycles". Cirque CNAC. Retrieved February 6, 2026.
5. Slide, Anthony (2012). The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville. University Press of Mississippi. p. 284. ISBN   978-1617032509.
6. "CYCLE MARATHON GOES ON IN PARK". New York Times Archive. Retrieved February 6, 2026.

External links

• The Clown House, a house in northeast Portland, Oregon, that is home to many clown bikes.