Tag Archives: Bicycle

LEGO and a little red bicycle [Video]

If you think about it, it’s probably safe to say that more people in the world know how to ride a bicycle than operate an automobile. In fact, there are some countries where riding a bike is the preferred mode of transportation. It’s also not surprising to know that Denmark, a friendly, quiet, and quaint country (and the home of LEGO) is one of the world leaders in using bicycles for transportation. This working LEGO bike, built by Donny Chen pays homage to bikes everywhere.

Working LEGO Bicycle

The details are totally awesome, from the body shape to the realistic drive-train, freewheel, and pneumatic disc brakes. You’re going to want to watch the video below to get a full tour of all the excellent features!

Wondering why there’s sheet music on the bike’s rack? That’s a nod to Donny’s magnum opus: the incredible LEGO Ideas set 21323 Grand Piano. Yep, he’s the fan designer of one of the coolest LEGO sets of all time! Check out our review, linked above.

“There is nothing, absolutely nothing, quite so worthwhile as simply messing about on bicycles”

Cyclist Tom Kunich said it best. As an avid biker myself, I love a sturdy frame that can hit the trails without giving me a beating. Let’s go for a ride on the Liteville 601 by builder 1corn.

Liteville 601

This build is mostly Technic pieces, which provided 1corn with plenty of rigidity in the frame, essential for a good mountain bike. It looks like the builder was dedicated to making this function with all the different orientations used to model the frame. You just have to appreciate its pragmatism.

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Get on your bike and be on your merry way!

Time goes by, seasons change but this merry bicyclist keeps on keeping on. That’s the premise to this fun new LEGO creation by Bricksom Parsom. I see the chain belt drive and the gears, but what does it do when you turn the crank? I won’t spoil it for you. You just have to watch the video to find out.

Bicycle, Bicycle, BICYCLE!

Nothing compares to the simple pleasures of riding a bicycle

Builder Mel Finelli is back on the saddle with another amazing bicycle creation, and this time it’s of a 1960s Schwinn Stingray. The construct itself looks like it defies all logic and gravity even up to the handlebars floating. I can attest they do all fit together and hold well, having seen her earlier creation of the LaFrance Super-Streamline in person. What enables this magic to happen is LEGO flex-tubes threaded through the colored parts. What may look simple in the end is the result of whole lot of patience and planning. It was definitely worth it.

Catching Some Waves

Click to see more details of the build

Blast back to the past with a bicycle and a boombox

Having grown up with the iconic Raleigh bicycle and a Boombox radio in the garage, it was tough to pass up this nostalgic blast from the past. Builder Melan-E pulls out all the stops in the detailing of each artifact of yesteryear. A few things stand out for me, including the great styling of both front and rear wheels, the reverse side of the 8×8 round element used for the speaker on the boombox, and oh! — those cassette tapes are simply charming.

Too Cool For School

The boombox and cassette tapes look like they could almost scream out a hit like “Stayin’ Alive” by The Bee Gees.  I wonder if the cassettes would fit right into the slots, as it does look like some hinged parts were used for the tape deck.

Too Cool For School

Melanie has created beautiful detailing around the rims with 1×1 plates that go all around, plus a school backpack to go.

Too Cool For School

If you need a reference point of what a classic Raleigh looks like, I just happen to have one that my Mom had saved through the decades, brought back to life with a new coat of paint and a basket.

Protect your pumpkin!

What would the Headless Horseman look like in 2018? Patrick Biggs is re-imagining the famous character from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and now the horse is gone, replaced by an awesome bike inspired by Mel Finelli’s works. Instead of a pair of leather boots, here are sneakers, with a design borrowed from Luke Staten. But it’s the posture and the motion of the figure that makes everything work together. Even though we don’t see the face, no doubt, this guy is having the time of his life this Halloween!

Happy Halloween: Wear a Helmet

A penny for your farthing

Back in the late 1800s, bicycling soared in popularity. One of the more unusual bikes to emerge from this period was the penny-farthing high wheeler. It earned the penny-farthing name based on the size of its wheels, which were compared with the size of a British penny in relation to a farthing coin. Melan-E has taken this scary looking cycle and transformed it into an impressive large-scale LEGO model. In addition to looking fit for riding through the streets of London, Melan-E’s model also offers a case study in how the natural flex of stacked bricks can be used to achieve convincing curves. The wheel consists of 2×2 round bricks, and the frame utilizes 1×1 round bricks. Both examples appear to be threaded together with flex tube, allowing the bricks to curve without falling apart. The cycle is supplemented with LEGO versions of period props like a phonograph and Victorian parasol, which help create a cohesive scene that breathes life into this high wheeler.
 
Day Out in Autumn

Bicycle made for a Brickheadz

Builder Cindy Su reminisces about the past with a Taiwanese postman built in BrickHeadz form that’s pretty detailed and cute.  These days, the postal services have moved on to motorbikes and cars, but you can still find them on bicycles out in the countryside.  A specially crafted green bicycle with the capability to have the LEGO character mounted is the icing on the cake. Cindy uses a specially modified part for the fork of the bicycles. See if you can spot another nice part usage – find the frog in the build!

Back to the 1960s—Postman

Click to see how the postman can ride his bicycle

Get on your bikes and ride

Here’s a fun vignette from Elspeth De Montes of a Technic figure bike mechanic working on his bicycles. Open drawers and containers full of tools and parts make the scene lively, but the bicycle model is the highlight here, showing off the excellent use of various bars, clips, and even a ray gun for the frame.

LEGO bike mechanic's workshop

Perhaps the most notable parts usage on Elspeth’s bicycle is the clear pulleys as wheels, which she says was inspired by a fellow builder. Elspeth’s bicycle model is fantastic, and you can build your own with this step-by-step breakdown.

LEGO bicycle breakdown

Cycling the Paris-Roubaix

The Paris-Roubaix is one of the oldest bicycle races in the world, having begun in 1896. Its famously rough cobblestone route is memorialized here by Luca Di Lazzaro as a large vignette, with carefully spaced tiles arranged to create the uneven pathway. The grim faces of the riders harken to the race’s nickname as The Hell of the North. The trees are a simple design, yet quite effective for adding a bit of greenery to the grueling route.

Paris - Roubaix (sur le pave', la legende)

It’s all child’s play

There are so many things I adore about this little scene. You’ve got the nostalgia factor, because I absoultely played hopscotch at recess as a little girl. Then you look at the detailing on the pavement, and your eye should wander to the absolutely brilliant bicycles for the kids.

That bunny is just adorable. Michael Jasper, well done.

Bringing home the groceries on two wheels

Fujiia just posted this awesome bicycle. It is built using a nice minimalistic approach that really appeals to me. As they say, less is often more.

Bicycle