Freak for All 2026: A cycle gathering of the weird

    by Chuck “Scoop” Brown, MHPVA ace reporter

 (aka Charles Brown)

        “Charles, there’s a Freak Bike event going on near you.  Go down there and get me some photos!”  snarls Mike Eliasohn over the phone. (Editor: Actually it was an email) 

 “Sure thing, chief, I’ll get on it right away!”

        Held July 4 at 333 Midland, a former factory in Highland Park now devoted to space for  artists to work on and display their creations,  the second annual event again offered a smorgasbord of all-you-can-ride bicycles of every description. (Highland Park, population 11,776,  is a city surrounded by Detroit.)

        Many of us developing recumbent cycles try to come up with faster, more comfortable, safer designs.  

       This group seems to go in the complete opposite direction: Questionable welds, no brakes, maladjusted components, an utter lack of lubricants, and not a helmet in sight.  I felt sorry for their lawyers.  Many of the bikes were deliberately designed to be challenging to ride.

    The bikes were in constant motion, the attendees were having a blast, trying out one bike after another.

   

 This one had a jet engine attached to the back fender.  Not as impressive as you might think, even with the engine going, the rider had to pedal the bike to get it to move. (Charles Brown photos)

        There were several ‘swing bikes’, notice the extra pivot at the seat tube.

A rear-steering bicycle, that is, the drive wheel is now in front and what was the front wheel still does the steering, but is in the rear.  And the handlebar and seat positions are reversed.  To turn right, the linkage turns the rear steering wheel to the left, and vice versa. 

 

        

A dicycle.

But why ?

Hard to envision, but the rider reaches up to turn the pedals with his hands, and steers with his feet.

In the freak bike world, this is what's called a "small tall."

A different small tall, in front of a tandem tall bike.

Climbing onto a tall bike.  What's more difficult , getting on to go for a ride, or when done, getting off ?

A former church pew, now a pedal-powered pew.  To turn right, the rider on the right stops pedaling, while the rider on the left keeps pedaling.  Or vice versa.

A side-by-side tandem bike.

A velocino, also called a donkey bike. This type of bicycle, intended as compact, easily stored cycle for urban use, was introduced in the mid-1930s

A long, low stretch cruiser, sometimes called a burrito bike.

A non-low stretch cruiser.

A cargo bike, with the load going on the platform in front.

Two conference bikes, designed for group riding. Riders face each other while pedaling, to promote interaction and collaboration, making the the cycles ideal for team-building activities.  Notice the big tire unicycle behind the front conference bike.

Notes:   It was a hot day and the Highland Park Fire Department was there with a fire truck, ready for fire fighters to cool attendees with a spray of water.

    Several videos of this event can be seen on Facebook.  Type in "Freak for All 2026" and you should find them.