Tour De Fat 10-13-07 Tempe, AZ

[Greenblazer]

Hey Ya'll,

Saturday, Saturday, Saturday Tempe Town Lake Tour De Fat 2007. The Freak Bike Militia - Phoenix Phreaks will be there. Look for our sign near the lake side of the parking lot just west of Tempe Beach Park. We will be meeting at 10AM, parade registration begins at 10:30AM. The parade of bicycles begins at 11:00AM we'll be back at noon for some good beer. I'll probably be the only guy with green hair, and I'll have an ID badge. Come and join us. I look forward to meeting you.

Later,

Allan Greenblazer

[SandLizrd]

Uh, there were lots of people with green hair! The dudes in tu-tu outfits were color-coordinated. Space Robots looked kind of cheesy, but I was most impressed by the prison guards with prisoners. Right off, I need to explain: Tour de Fat is an alternative festival. Sure, beer was good, and there were some normal bikes, but think of it as a party crowd and a spectacle. I'd recommend it to anyone, even kids, but it's not your average bunch of club riders!

I dropped by, and saw some of the chopper-bikes with your tag. They looked pretty cool but I'd hate to be you on a screaming downhill!

I was most impressed with the bike corral - a fenced-in area where people rode the most interesting bikes in circles. There was a bike without tires - it had Tennis Shoes on the ends of spokes. There were swing bikes (saddle sways the back tire, bars work normally, one can ride in incredible geometries). There was a side-car bike. There was a bike built for two with rear-steering, it went in circles a lot. There was a bike with normal rear and a spool-end (maybe 36") for a front tire. Cross between safety bike and high-wheeler? Never lose a spoke! There was a roto-tiller bike - this is hard to describe but it has front wheel, rear wheel, and a pair of roto-tiller wheels w/drive under the crank. One leans back and gets up some speed, then rocks forward over the tiller-wheels to get steering back before one crashes. I saw a bike with normal frame & drive, but the front tire & fork were from an old-style ATC!

My buddy had just purchased a soft-ride the day before, he felt perfectly comfortable there! Met another soft-ride owner and learned the finer points. Of course, I think that dude was loaded so we best double-check those points.

I don't think I'll build a chopper-bike any time soon, it don't have the function I like. But I will attend tour de fat again, just because it is so pleasantly strange