this post was submitted on 14 Jul 2025
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Bicycles

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[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago* (last edited 13 hours ago)

I was going to say I wanted to see video of it in action, but after search on YT (video was not much more than your picture) in the recommendations I saw the donkey bike (aka velocinno, or velocino?) that looks like a more interesting small (but odd) bike.

Odd because small front wheel (normal back wheel) and optional wraparound-behind-rider handlebars. Both gray footage (and British narration) and also many people chopping 2 bikes together (a child's bike for the front wheel) to make it.

No idea on how it is to ride (at least ~~inverted~~ behind-rider) though.

left: a line diagram of a Donkey bike, showing a forwards and reversed configurations. right: a photograph or illustration on the front of a pack of cigarettes, of a besuited man riding said bike while smoking with his free hand

EDIT: Seeing video of the non-reverse-mounted handlebars, I'm not sure the claim about changing posture is even true (that's just about handlebar height, and it seems same either way). I think I'd prefer typical even just for mirror/shifting/bell/etc and mount-dismount (hop-back and tilt-bike-up if-needed).

I mentioned in another comment retro-direct drive, pedalling backwards for the low gear would make something like this even weirder/cooler.