Support road.cc

Like this site? Help us to make it better.

OPINION

Bikestruments

Avatar
How to make the best sounds when you go to watch a bike race.

It started out when my friend had an unfortunate accident involving a roof rack, a Cannondale CAAD8 and a car port...

Once the nastiness was out of the way, eyes dried and a suitable replacement found, the mangled remains of the CAAD8 sat unloved down the side of my mate's conservatory, until one day when I questioned what was happening to them.  The answer was they were destined for the local tip, but I got the impression that my friend couldn't quite bring himself to part with the husk of his first proper bike - the bike that had seen him ascend the Pyrnees for the first time.  

So I asked him if I could have it.  Soon enough, I was in the shed setting about it with an angle grinder - I'd had a vision and the result was something louder than any cow bell I've come across when bashed with an old MTB skewer sourced from the darkest depths of the shed.  Like any real instrument, it needs a bit of practice to get the most out of if, but it's worth learning to do right so you can produce the loudest sound possible.

And that's the great thing about going to see a bike race - the atmosphere - it's not just the noise, all of your senses are lit up, but the noise is something special.  Cross has cowbells (a clubmate has a cowbell/claxon combo); my sister informed me that the chosen noise-makers at Meribel last week were chainsaws (sans chain) getting the nuts revved off them; then there's airhorns, vuvuzelas, home made Heath Robinson stuff and the grand tours have... well... they have everything from unrelenting house pumping out of a sorted PA on Alpe d'Huez to traditional accordion music!

The sound of bike racing is amazing, the passion and excitement that fans have is right there on the surface, you can hear it for miles.  We talk about being lucky to get as close as we get to our favourite riders, our idols, and it's great to be able get up close and cheer them on.  Get digging in the shed, see what you can find that'll make a racket, then take it down to your local bike race, hill climb, cross race and enjoy making some noise!

Add new comment

5 comments

Avatar
tom_w | 9 years ago
0 likes

I think the chap in this video has got it nailed. You can see the finest example of his work at 1:26, where coincidentally he's heckling someone in road.cc kit! Anyone we know?

http://vimeo.com/21034147#t=86s

Avatar
Recumbenteer | 9 years ago
0 likes

I have an antique cow-bell from Chamonix. Took it when I went to see Wiggo in the Olympics and to various demos, Surrey Classic etc.

Avatar
farrell | 9 years ago
0 likes
SamShaw wrote:

they have everything from unreleting house pumping out of a sorted PA on Alpe d'Huez

Lovely:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pay35KfQG60

Avatar
notfastenough | 9 years ago
0 likes

I think we need an audio clip so we can pass judgement on the quality of the racket you can make!

Avatar
SamShaw replied to notfastenough | 9 years ago
0 likes
notfastenough wrote:

I think we need an audio clip so we can pass judgement on the quality of the racket you can make!

5 seconds in! http://instagram.com/p/sQNEE6nXP0/

Latest Comments