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The Swing Bike
The Swing Bike
Home for the summer of 2009 after my sophomore year in college, I came across a bicycle at a local kayak and bike rental place in my home town. I had never seen anything like it before. The bicycle was built like a beach cruiser with large wide tires, a laid back seat, and wide handle bars. But what made it unique was a pivot built in to where the bike frame met the seat tube, allowing the entire front of the bike to swing over 180 degrees independant of the front forks. This articulation meant that the bicycle could turn around an impossibly small radius, and do other tricks like travel with one wheel up on a curve and the other on the street, or fold so both wheels are nearly side by side when riding.
My research turned up that this type of bicycle, known as a "swing bike" was not a particularly new idea. In the 1960's swing bikes were produced that looked a lot like the popular Schwinn Stingray bicycles, and the concept has been popular anongst hobbiests and welders since. The bicycle I had encountered was modern made by America's Bike Company, a San Diego based bicycle manufacturer. After a lot of searching around and many phone calls, I located one of these bikes for sale from a small shop in California, and had it shipped to Wisconsin.
I have done some light custom work on the bicycle inspired by vintage hot rod automobiles, including replacing the tires for some white walls, installing chopped fenders, and (not shown) an under saddle storage tube.
I have yet to have as much fun on any other vehicle as I have had on the swing bike. There is a learning curve to overcome in ballancing on the bike and stearing, but once it's figured out, it's an absolute scream. I have enjoyed bombing around the boardwalks of my home town and scaring the locals with a bike that suddenly seems to fold in half while approaching them head on, or swings right around a lamp post.
The two videos here are slideshows of the bicycle as I recieved it and put it together, and then after some customization work.
Home for the summer of 2009 after my sophomore year in college, I came across a bicycle at a local kayak and bike rental place in my home town. I had never seen anything like it before. The bicycle was built like a beach cruiser with large wide tires, a laid back seat, and wide handle bars. But what made it unique was a pivot built in to where the bike frame met the seat tube, allowing the entire front of the bike to swing over 180 degrees independant of the front forks. This articulation meant that the bicycle could turn around an impossibly small radius, and do other tricks like travel with one wheel up on a curve and the other on the street, or fold so both wheels are nearly side by side when riding.
My research turned up that this type of bicycle, known as a "swing bike" was not a particularly new idea. In the 1960's swing bikes were produced that looked a lot like the popular Schwinn Stingray bicycles, and the concept has been popular anongst hobbiests and welders since. The bicycle I had encountered was modern made by America's Bike Company, a San Diego based bicycle manufacturer. After a lot of searching around and many phone calls, I located one of these bikes for sale from a small shop in California, and had it shipped to Wisconsin.
I have done some light custom work on the bicycle inspired by vintage hot rod automobiles, including replacing the tires for some white walls, installing chopped fenders, and (not shown) an under saddle storage tube.
I have yet to have as much fun on any other vehicle as I have had on the swing bike. There is a learning curve to overcome in ballancing on the bike and stearing, but once it's figured out, it's an absolute scream. I have enjoyed bombing around the boardwalks of my home town and scaring the locals with a bike that suddenly seems to fold in half while approaching them head on, or swings right around a lamp post.
The two videos here are slideshows of the bicycle as I recieved it and put it together, and then after some customization work.