Hack Bike Derby: Friday Expedition
In the simpler times of 2016, 17 frame builders got together, with bikes they’d made for less than £300 for a weekend of racing, camping and great times.
From Alex Rankin:
17 frame builders racing home hacked Klunkers over a rain & fire filled weekend in Somerset.
The Hack Bike Derby is an annual event held over 2 days with a different type of bike and series of races proposed for each year.
This year, the first year, the theme is klunkers; the original Mountain Bikes as raced from around 1976 in California, USA.
All builders were given the same brief; builders must race the bike they have built, stock car rules apply (if another builder thinks you have an unfair advantage you have to be prepared to swap bikes for a race), all bikes must conform to the event rules:
- Frame and forks must be made by the rider from steel, specifically for this event.
- The bike must be made cheaply (under £300, all in) – Dropouts must be made (“hacked”) by the rider
- The bike mustn’t be painted but it can be clear-coated, raw or painted using pens, paint brushes or rattle can, by the rider (basically – no expensive paint jobs!)
- All bikes must use the same tyres (and hence wheel size) Bontrager have provided 26” x 2.35 XR4 Team Issue tires for every rider
- The bikes must also be built according to this year’s brief; 1 x gear, 2 x brakes (1 x front + 1 x rear, no hydraulic or disk, ideally not V brakes), and the bike must look like a klunker.
Created by The Bicycle Academy, sponsored by Bell Helmets, Bontrager and Break Fluid Coffee.
Short film Directed + Edited by Alex Rankin
