General Cycling Discussion - Fear Factor....Think you could do it??

Just happened to flip over to the TV show Fear Factor last night and it was like the final for $50K - The contestants had to ride a bicycle 60 feet across this little bridge thing that was setup between two buildings. It was only about a foot wide and it was a LONG way down!! Two of the four rode of the side of the thing!! :eek: Of course they had a safety harness on them but I'm still not sure I could have done it. Think you could have done it?? :D Crazy stuff!!

A lot of that stuff is so insanely easy, but it's just psychological, there are some things that are more or less physical (eating a bunch of disgusting food, climbing as fast as you can, etc...) I'd be pretty sad if i couldn't ride across 60' on a 1' wide bridge. Raised in the air it's a diff story, but what do you have to worry about if you're strapped in harder than max powers?

edit: 1' wide is pretty wide, 6" or 3" would be much tougher :)

Some of the skinnies people ride out on the trails are just as narrow or narrower and many of them actually require turning. There are a few mild ones in the trails behind my house that I ride regularly. I'm not sure how long they are and they're not raised up a few stories (probably only a couple of feet) or anything but I don't see a difference... besides, I don't have a safety harness when I'm riding them. I can ride them all day... well... almost.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, here's some pictures of skinnies (http://www.nsmb.com/trail_tales/hootsskinny_09_02.php). I'm sure some of the more hardcore technical mountain bikers on this forum can tell you about gnarlier stuff.

Now that I think about it I think I heard them say during the show that the bridge thing was 8" wide. It looked wider than that. Can't find any info on the web site though so I'm not sure. The only one of the bunch that claimed to actually ride a bike went the least distance. He was acting all cocky(like you guys :D ) like it was no big deal until it was his turn. Then the fool rode right off the edge. I don't think it would be as easy riding 10 stories(guess) up as it would be 2 feet up. Sure they had the safety harness but it looked pretty scarry to me....and I'll try damn near anything. :D

Originally posted by dragracer
I don't think it would be as easy riding 10 stories(guess) up as it would be 2 feet up. Sure they had the safety harness but it looked pretty scarry to me....and I'll try damn near anything. :D

It's all psychological. I'm not afraid of heights but I am afraid of hitting the ground. So 10 stories or a few feet... for me, the same fear is present. Besides... when you're riding skinnies, you're not supposed to look anywhere except the endpoint of your line. When you make a turn onto a new line, you need to focus on the endpoint of that line. In other words, look straight ahead and out a bit of distance. Many people suggest you focus only at the very endpoint. I try and make sure I'm viewing the whole line. Practice by riding the edge of curbs (kerbs).

P.S. I just wanted to add that I'm not one of those overly-technical North Shore rider types. I'm mainly into cross country but the terrain here is mixed and I dabble in a bit of everything. I'm sure that if I can handle a few mild skinnies, some of the folks into the harder stuff would be able to traverse a 60'x8" wide plank with no problems... even if it is elevated 10 stories high.

Originally posted by dragracer
... Fear Factor last night and it was like the final for $50K - The contestants had to ride a bicycle 60 feet across this little bridge thing that was setup between two buildings. ... Think you could have done it?

A pedestrian once asked me whether I could do any stunts on my Capo. I responded that "I am 50 years old; the bike is 40; we're both too old for that!"

Originally posted by dragracer
Just happened to flip over to the TV show Fear Factor last night and it was like the final for $50K - The contestants had to ride a bicycle 60 feet across this little bridge thing that was setup between two buildings. It was only about a foot wide and it was a LONG way down!! Two of the four rode of the side of the thing!! :eek: Of course they had a safety harness on them but I'm still not sure I could have done it. Think you could have done it?? :D Crazy stuff!!

I watched that eposide and it was definetly crazy. DId u see that girl gun across it in 7.8 sec...don't think i could do it.....can barely keep myself on the sidewalk :D