radball bike

[kccomet]

posted this on the show and tell today. radball,is like soccer played on bikes. does anyone know anything about these bikes, or have one. i know they still make them. this could be called a trick or circus bike but i think it was built for radball.from what little ive read the sport goes back a hundred years and is mostly played in europe. this one i believe is german and looks fairly old.i guess you move the ball with the front wheel, which riding on the back wheel you could spin the fork and get some velocity for a shot. i seldom ride any of my bikes....gasp, but i might put some tubes in this one and see if i can break a hip or maybe a collarbone. the bike pedals foward and backward, with the super tight geometry and the seat over the rear wheel, it would be a real wheelie machine. im curious on the age or any information on this paticular bike.....thanks

 

[TR6SC]

Also known as an Artistic Cycle. 1:1 ratio on the sprockets with no coaster. Great videos on YouTube. Really big in Germany.

 

[tripple3]

Hey that looks fun!
I wanna try.

 

[Shawn Michael]

Hey that looks fun!
I wanna try.

Break a leg.

 

[corbettclassics]

I believe that the bike you have Jim is a RADBALL bike because of the way the seat is located.

The circus bikes ( or artistic bikes ) had the seat straight out of the seat tube on top.

The RADBALL bikes had the seat post facing the rear with the seat as far back over the rear wheel as they would like it.

It's a very rare and interesting machine and I would guess it to be around 1920 or maybe 30's.

Here's one I wanted to buy from Howie Cohen many years ago and it never happened ( Brennabor )

Here's a great room displaying a couple of these bikes. ( pulled from the web )

This one was on LFGSS for sale

 

[bairdco]

We used to play "tray soccer" on our bmx bikes using stolen McDonald's trays.

Great fun washing out the front wheel when it locks up on a slippery piece of plastic under it...

 

[Mark Mattei]

One more.