# Clown bicycle > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Clown_bicycle > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Clown_bicycle.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown_bicycle > Source revision: 1353444713 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Type of bicycle This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Clown bicycle" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (February 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) A clown on a tall trike, similar to a [tall bike](/source/Tall_bike). A **clown bicycle**, **freak bike**, or **circus bike** is a [bicycle](/source/Bicycle) designed for comedic visual effect or stunt riding, often by [circus clowns](/source/Circus_clown). ## Types of clown bicycles - [BMX bicycle](/source/BMX_bicycle) - Bucking bike – With one or more [eccentric](/source/Eccentric_(mechanism)) wheels, that is with significant [run-out](/source/Run-out) - Come-apart bike, or Breakaway bike – Essentially a [unicycle](/source/Unicycle), plus a set of handlebars attached to [forks](/source/Bicycle_fork) and a wheel[1] - High wire cycle – A bicycle pedaled along a thin wire[2][3] - [Small wheel bicycle](/source/Small_wheel_bicycle) - [Tall bike](/source/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](/source/Swing_Bike) - [Sideways bike](/source/Sideways_bike) Some clown bikes are also [fixed gear](/source/Fixed_gear), with no [freewheeling](/source/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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] ## History Soon after their invention in the 19th century, the [bicycle](/source/Bicycle) was adopted into the circus repertoire.[4] Initially prevalent as group acts, early performers drew inspiration from equestrian circus, or [hippodrama](/source/Hippodrama), and the art form gradually became a more individual act.[4] ### Notable early performers Notable early performers include: - Harry French[4] - [Nick Kaufmann](https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Nick_Kaufmann&action=edit&redlink=1) [[de](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Kaufmann)][4] - Dan Canary[4] - [Lilly Yokoi](/source/Lilly_Yokoi), bicycle acrobat who performed on a gold-plated bicycle[4] - [Joe Jackson Sr.](/source/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](/source/List_of_bicycle_types) - [Art bike](/source/Art_bike) - [Clown car](/source/Clown_car) ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-sqrmagazine2017-cycles_1-0)** Lederer, Phil. ["Wheels of History"](https://www.srqmagazine.com/articles/710/Wheels-of-History). *SQR Magazine*. Retrieved February 6, 2026.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: url-status ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_url-status)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Peretsman, Natalie (November–December 2008). ["Science under the big top: find out what's behind all those jaw-dropping circus stunts"](https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A187907655/ITOF?u=wikipedia&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=4368cd39). *SuperScience*. Retrieved February 16, 2025 – via [Gale General OneFile](/source/Gale_General_OneFile). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["High Wire Cycle"](https://www.imaginationstationtoledo.org/visit/exhibits/high-wire-cycle). *Imagination Station*. Toledo, Ohio. Retrieved February 16, 2025. 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-2) [***d***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-3) [***e***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-4) [***f***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-5) [***g***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-6) [***h***](#cite_ref-Cirquecnac-cycles_4-7) Jacob, Pascal. ["Cycles"](https://cirque-cnac.bnf.fr/en/acrobatics/mobile-apparatus/cycles). *Cirque CNAC*. Retrieved February 6, 2026.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: url-status ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_url-status)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Slide2012_5-0)** Slide, Anthony (2012). *The Encyclopedia of Vaudeville*. University Press of Mississippi. p. 284. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1617032509](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1617032509). 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["CYCLE MARATHON GOES ON IN PARK"](https://www.nytimes.com/1975/05/25/archives/cycle-marathon-goes-on-in-park-2000-at-the-starting-line-for-fourth.html). *New York Times Archive*. Retrieved February 6, 2026.{{[cite web](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_web)}}: CS1 maint: url-status ([link](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:CS1_maint:_url-status)) ## External links - [The Clown House](https://web.archive.org/web/20061208222419/http://www.clownhouse.org/), a house in northeast Portland, Oregon, that is home to many clown bikes. v t e Human-powered transport Land Pedal power 29er Bicycle (outline) Bicycle trailer BMX bike Boneshaker Cargo bike City bicycle Cold-weather biking (ice cycle) Cruiser bicycle Cycle rickshaw Cyclo-cross bicycle Downhill bike Enduro Fatbike Flat bar road bike Folding bicycle Go-kart Glossary of cycling Hybrid bicycle Motorized bicycle Mountain bike Mountain biking 27.5 Downhill Singletrack Party bike Penny-farthing Porteur bicycle Prone bicycle Quadracycle Recumbent bicycle Road bicycle Roadster Safety bicycle Sociable Small-wheel bicycle Tandem bicycle Touring bicycle Track bicycle Trailer bike Tricycle Unicycle Utility bicycle Velocar Velocipede Velomobile Wheelie bike Electric motor assist Electric bicycle Pedelec Motorized bicycle E-scooter Treadle power Treadle bicycle Other foot power Balance bike Dandy horse Kick scooter Kickbike Kicksled Brakeboard Freeboard Freeskates Longboard Skateboard Hand power Handcar Handcycle Hobcart Invalid carriage Wheelchair Row action Rowing cycle Pushed/pulled Baby transport Stroller Baggage cart Bath chair Cart Flatbed trolley Hand truck Pulled rickshaw Shopping cart Shopping caddy Stairclimber Stretcher Toy wagon Wheelbarrow Sled Carried Baby sling Babywearing Litter/sedan chair Scoop stretcher Weight shifting Trikke Pogo stick Caster board Snakeboard Gravity Gravity racer Billy cart Street luge Snowboard Toboggan Summer toboggan Gravity biking Water Hand power Canoe Kayak Paddleboarding Rowing (fixed seat) Punt Standup paddleboarding Hand and foot power Rowing (sliding seat) Rowing (sliding rigger) Foot power Hydrocycle Hydrofoil Pedalo Amphibious Amphibious cycle Air Aircraft list Helicopter Ornithopter Non-vehicular transport Foot power Inline skating skates Roller skating skates Running Stair climbing Walking Stair climbing Snow and ice Crampons Ice skates Ski Alpine touring skis Cross-country skis Telemark skis Snowshoes Related Animal-powered transport Cycling (outline) Bicycle- and human-powered vehicle museums Human power Zero-emissions vehicle v t e Clowns List of clowns / List of jesters Types Blackface Bouffon Canadian Chou Circus Contemporary Evil Harlequin Harlequinade Heyoka Jester Mime Pierrot Pueblo Ritual Rodeo Scaramouche Silly Billy Skomorokh Organizations Clandestine Insurgent Rebel Clown Army Clown Conservatory Clowns of America International Clowns Gallery-Museum International Clown Hall of Fame Loldiers of Odin Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College World Clown Association World Festival of Clowns in Yekaterinburg Related 2016 clown sightings Clown alley Clown bicycle Clown car Clown Care Clown ministry Clown society Coulrophilia International Clown Week Motley Toronto circus riot Documentaries The Clowns (1970) Category --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Clown bicycle](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown_bicycle) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown_bicycle?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.