A Big Wheel for adults…it seems so childish. What adult would ride one and who would make such a thing? It seems like such a ridiculous idea until you ride a High Roller Big Wheel. The High Roller is the brain child of Matt Armbruster, aka Captain Obvious, who back in 1991 after a really bad day at the University of Colorado decided to get a group of people together to ride big wheels to the mall in Boulder, Colorado. Since then, Captain Obvious has been organizing “The Almost Annual Matt Armbruster Memorial Big Wheel Rally” in Boulder every spring and fall.
The rally that is coming up at 5pm on July 9th will start at The Walrus Saloon and head to eight different bars and eateries before ending at the Boulder Overlook where participants can get a hotel room to sleep off their revelry. Along the way, there will be ramps, stairs, power slides, drags and more as this wheeled “pub-crawl” winds through downtown Boulder. In the past, this event has drawn people in from as far away as Iowa and California to get in on the big wheel action.
Back in 2005, Matt’s best friend and his pregnant wife entered Saint Joseph Hospital due to some ’odd’ symptoms which ultimately led to an emergency c-section and delivery of their baby girl – three months premature. Seeing how Saint Joseph helped them, Matt decided that the Big Wheel Rally would help the Saint Joseph Hospital Foundation, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. “Every single extra dollar we raise through registration, wristband, and t-shirt sales goes straight to St. Joe’s NICU, and will help to fund their annual Reunion Picnic for all the kids and families they’ve helped. And your contribution is Tax Deductible.”
There are multiple pages on Matt’s website, www.bigwheelrally.com, devoted to the history and numerous models of big wheels. There is also a wealth of information regarding the modifications that need to be made to what really is a child’s toy so that it does not fail under the stresses and loads that an adult rider will introduce… and probably an intoxicated adult rider. The website also sells modification kits to be used with off-the-shelf big wheels to strengthen them for adults riders.
If all of this sounds like too much work, there are adult big wheels on the market. Big Wheel Rally has recently released the High Roller Mark 1 big wheel specifically designed to handle the weight and stresses of an adult rider.
The High Roller Mark 1 features:
* Steel Frame and Fork
* Custom metal flake Powder Coat paint
* Blow Molded 14 inch Plastic Rear Wheels for, what else, Power Slides!
* Pnuematic 26 inch front wheel
* Freewheel Hub for high speed coasting
* Alloy Rims
* Super Wide front tire for super traction
* Alloy V-Brake and levers
* Plush custom seat
* Tassles (of course)
While at the Boulder Bike Swap, held at the Boulder Indoor Cycling facility, I had a chance myself to relive the days of power slides on a big wheel. The High Roller Mark 1 sits really low to the ground, but is surprisingly comfortable. As an avid cyclist, the steering felt a little awkward, but not unsafe by any means – it is essentially a three wheeler so there was no concern of tipping over. Since all of the power comes from the front wheel, it took a little bit of effort to get up to power sliding speed, but once up to speed all that was required for power slides was a quick turn of the handlebars. Since the rear wheels are hard plastic, they slid all around the pavement with ease. I left on my test ride amused, but skeptical…I came back laughing!
There are some people that are going to absolutely overlook this product due to its silly nature, but if you are one of those people with a kid trapped on the inside, at least take one of these out for a spin if there is a demo in your area. It may bring a smile to your face. As for its practicality, that is up to you to judge.
The High Roller Mark 1 is currently a limited production run product available directly from the Big Wheel Rally or High Roller websites for $599. If you are interested in participating in the Big Wheel Rally, the tax deductible entry fee is $25 and you can register at www.bigwheelrally.com.