Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on June 18, 2013 at 3:21am

If you haven't already read it, the late Sheldon Brown wrote a great primer on fixed gear:

http://sheldonbrown.com/fixed.html

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Permalink Reply by nofromofo on June 18, 2013 at 5:38am

Thanks Bruce.

I'm also looking for local enthusiasts who I can consult and possibly work with on a short film I'm trying to shoot.

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Permalink Reply by nofromofo on June 19, 2013 at 2:18am

I am looking for theories/suggestions to achieve the longest "ghost ride" on a fixed gear bike.  The short film is a collection of images that shows a character's spirit still rides around Chicago. 

I thought a fixed gear would be good because the pedals would still rotate with nobody on it gving it a ghost feel.  I was hoping to tighten down the steering column and achieve the look by someone pushing the bike past the camera with someone else on the other side to catch it.  That might work for small distance shots but ideally we are looking for solution to have a bike coast 100ft?

Was hoping to find out tricks or suggestions.  Has anyone tried this before?  Without using gagets or strings which would comprimise the shot, how do you get a bike to coast the longest with nobody on it.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on June 19, 2013 at 3:41am

a green screen shot of one rotation of the pedals and then loop it?

nofromofo said:

I am looking for theories/suggestions to achieve the longest "ghost ride" on a fixed gear bike.  The short film is a collection of images that shows a character's spirit still rides around Chicago. 

I thought a fixed gear would be good because the pedals would still rotate with nobody on it gving it a ghost feel.  I was hoping to tighten down the steering column and achieve the look by someone pushing the bike past the camera with someone else on the other side to catch it.  That might work for small distance shots but ideally we are looking for solution to have a bike coast 100ft?

Was hoping to find out tricks or suggestions.  Has anyone tried this before?  Without using gagets or strings which would comprimise the shot, how do you get a bike to coast the longest with nobody on it.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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Permalink Reply by Michael A on June 19, 2013 at 3:52am

Was hoping to find out tricks or suggestions.  Has anyone tried this before?  Without using gagets or strings which would comprimise the shot, how do you get a bike to coast the longest with nobody on it.

he obviously has never been on a maurader's ride..... the answer is PBR  lots of PBR

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Permalink Reply by nofromofo on June 19, 2013 at 6:07am

"..... the answer is PBR  lots of PBR"

-well if I pull off what I'm looking for I'll be drinks lots of it, lots.

I figure speed is my friend.  I'm thinking the faster speed we let this bike go the better chance of getting a good ghost ride as long as I have enough people at the other end to intercept it if it gets off course. 

Rather than a run a push it method, I think it'd be better to have a rider (or car) hold on to the empty bike as they pick up a good speed and let it go and stop riding to let the bike go on with nobody around it.  I imagine getting a clean release will be hard to keep the bike going straight but with tightening down the steering column to only go straight should help.

In the past, has anyone been fooling around before and tried this and have any success?

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Permalink Reply by BruceBikes on June 19, 2013 at 6:21am

I remember ghost riding my bike when I was a kid.  We'd have competitions to see how far we could get them to go.  IIRC, we got our BMX bikes to ghost from my yard, across the street, into the neighbor's yard - maybe 30 or 40 feet.  Maybe they'd have gone farther if they weren't jumping the curb on the far side.

I think the trick was to ride like hell up to the starting point, flip one leg over the saddle so you're standing on one pedal & coasting, then jump off and give the handlebars a good push.  It's a good idea to start in the grass, 'cause sometimes this operation resulted in the rider eatin' in.  (Of course, this technique won't work quite the same way on a fixed gear.)

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Permalink Reply by Thedutchtouch on June 19, 2013 at 7:12am

weld/fix the headset, speed is your friend, and a smooth/freshly paved downhill. That's how I'd do it, not that I ever would. Or... Someone in a greenman bodysuit and video editing software. Actually, I'd prefer the second way, and can you upload the unedited greenman on a bike video?


Also, this is not fixed gear specific.

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Permalink Reply by Tony Adams on June 19, 2013 at 8:13am

Or we could change this to a story about a frog!

Cameron 7.5 mi said:

Jim Henson gave several interviews where he talked about the challenge of designing a bike for Kermit to ride and I seem to remember one where he showed the mechanics of how he controlled the bike. If you search for those interviews, most of what he did would probably also apply to bike without a frog on it. Although none of the would apply if your determined to do it without strings.

nofromofo said:

I am looking for theories/suggestions to achieve the longest "ghost ride" on a fixed gear bike.  The short film is a collection of images that shows a character's spirit still rides around Chicago. 

I thought a fixed gear would be good because the pedals would still rotate with nobody on it gving it a ghost feel.  I was hoping to tighten down the steering column and achieve the look by someone pushing the bike past the camera with someone else on the other side to catch it.  That might work for small distance shots but ideally we are looking for solution to have a bike coast 100ft?

Was hoping to find out tricks or suggestions.  Has anyone tried this before?  Without using gagets or strings which would comprimise the shot, how do you get a bike to coast the longest with nobody on it.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

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Permalink Reply by Tricolor on June 19, 2013 at 10:37am

Downhill on a slight incline that the camera can't notice very well.  Just make sure the bike is on fire.

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Permalink Reply by ilter on June 20, 2013 at 4:05pm

maybe you can hide a training wheel behind one of those covered time trail or track wheels. That of course would as long as you don`t shoot the bike from the front or back..

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Permalink Reply by Vitaliy on June 21, 2013 at 5:01am

Also i dont know if anyone is willing to let their precious fixed-gear bikes fall and scratch up. I know I have some higher than average components on mine and I wouldnt let anyone even ride it without going through a serious interview with tout, let alone leave my hands.

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