Photos (otherwise photo credited below) & Entry By Jolene Van Vugt, AKA "Nitro Girl"
Lately we have been taking big wheels to a whole new level and this past week at Travis's compound in MD was no different. Yes, I am talking about the 3 wheeled kids toy. If you are not familiar with the big wheel, which I highly doubt, it has been a popular kids bike for many, many years. I remember having a cream, purple and green colored Cabbage Patch big wheel when I was a little girl. They were made completely of plastic, had removable back rests, plastic wheels, no brakes and made a lot of noise. Well for the past 9 months since Jim discovered this old but newly modified classic we have been doing pretty much everything you could think of with them.
We have been hitting ramps, dropping cliffs, speeding down hills, racing them, drifting them, backflipping them and just pushing these too small for a grown person toys to there limits. They don't last too long the way we manage to abuse them but the ride is surely worth it as we bring out the inner child in us, (which we all know isn't a big reach!) and giggle like school girls as we race and challenge each other on these pink and blue Trek Big Wheels!
It all started on TP's birthday last year, early October, Jim bought him two as a gift and even had a little bit of a hard time convincing him how they weren't a waste of time but a great way to pass the time and have a tone of fun doing it! Now you are probably also thinking a kids big wheel how much fun could those possibly be for a grown person. But any-who, so Jim and TP headed out to play with TP's new presents and it's been total chaos since.
Just after the Maryland Thrillbillies premiere in late October, we were all hanging out at Travis's and it looked like a great day for some big wheeling, this was my first intro to the new design and I was pretty excited as I hadn't been on one in over 15 years. They now have a rubber front tire, a front brake, mounted steel handle bars and a steel frame. But they still have rear plastic tires, which I believe is so to not lose the loud and distinct noise that big wheels make! We went to a great area that Jim and TP had found to race them down, it's a long downhill with lots of "S" turns and you can get up to a good high speeds as you drift the corners down it. Unfortunately if you do miss a corner you might just ended up taking out someone's mail box as my brother Billy experienced, no worries though he was okay and we fixed the mailbox. Then we headed over to another long single bend down hill that you can get lots of speed on and just hold it pinned!
Jim wanted to start jumping them so he got one of his old wooden bike ramps and we set it up at the dock of a Marina. So cool, we were jumping into water. Not so cool, it was a cove, the water was only 4 feet deep with about 2 feet of sludge as a base and it didn't not smell very welcoming. But we jumped into it anyway, this is were Jim almost lands on a boat as you see in the Thrillbillies video. I ended up impaling my shin on the bike as I landed the big wheel hit the sludge and stopped dead, I did not! So I headed to the ER and then on my way home to Canada for a 4 week sit on my butt at home recovery from a hole in my leg and not so nice super infection, that didn't even make the cut for the video. Guess that teaches me to play around in dirty water!
The next idea Travis had in store for our new found favorite toy was cliffs! Which took place when we ventured to The Forgotten Lake last month. Big wheels were the guests of honor as they were launched off cliffs into water by our daring drivers Travis and Crum. Travis wanted to base jump one of the bikes off a cliff and got up super early as the sun rose on our first day there and dragged Rubberneck, Plamer and James and up to the top of this 300 foot cliff with him to see it through and to get all the action on film. As for Crum, well Crum was rock, paper, scissored into what he says was one of the scariest moments of his life as he rode a big off a 100 foot cliff sans parachute. Luckily he had on a sweet open faced helmet, a pair of tight white short, shorts and cowboy boots to not help in anyway as he hit butt first with a lot of force! Bruising did in-sew and feeling only took a few minutes to come back in his rear end as he floated in his lifejacket with minimal movement waiting for us to come over in the boat and get him.
Then this past week the most recent feet for the small wonder toy, the largest big wheel backflip. Surprisingly it wasn't the Wonderboy that completed and set this impressive record of 22 feet, off an 11 foot high steel quarter pipe for a take off to dirt landing backflip, but our pencil pushing crew member Andy Bell! Now 22 feet, may not sound too impressive but you have to remember it a child's big wheel made of plastic and not so sturdy steel, landing and riding this one out takes mad skill or just plain luck! Not that TP didn't give it a good go as he went head to head with Bell, all bets on, but it just wasn't TP's day as he was unable to land the 22 foot flip taking a few hard hits, but Andy took the title and all gloating began! The ramp hit also took Rubberneck, Street Bike Tommy and I for a wild ride, as I tried to backflip it, Rubberneck flat landed it and I almost killed Tommy as I instead of giving him a push down from the top of the hill I jumped on the back and went for the fast and not so stable ride up to the ramp jumping off at the last minute, sending Tommy into a power launch off the ramp, lets just say that landing didn't go well for either of us, but looked good on film!
I don't know what's next for us and the Big Wheels, but be sure it will be something that hurts us and entertains you!
Now don't try this at home kids, we are trained professionals!
Check in regularly for more Nitro Circus Crew News, Flashbacks and Photos!
Jim's big launch from Thrillbillies that almost had him landing on a boat!
Travis's jump into the Marina (Photo Credit Christian Edstrom)
My last jump into the Marina that ended badly.
Takin' down by a Big Wheel but at least I was giving the thumbs-up! (Photo Credit Christian Edstrom)
Travis and some of the crew heading up for him to base jump the pink big wheel off a 300 foot cliff!
Travis pushing the limits on a kids toy!
Crum dropping in on a 100 foot cliff.
Unloading for a race down our sweet big wheel racecourse, founded by Jim & TP.
Staging.
Rubberneck hiking up from the ramp to dirt big wheel hit.
Rubberneck, checkout that intensity.
Just the beginning of my Big Wheel battle wounds that day! (Photo Credit Erik Roner)
Andy Bell, setting a record, 22 feet! (Photo Credit Jeff Tremaine)
Source: Travis Pastrana Moto
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