Check out the wacky creatively-constructed aero bikes for MEGA HIGH SPEEDS (and efficiency) in this old magazine!
I can't get enough of this shit. Pages 10-15 have all the good pictures, pretty much.
This may turn into a bit of a rant, and it's not quite directly related to the above link, but the UCI (the Union Cycliste Internationale - the world governing body for sports cycling) is the big governing body that everyone looks to for pretty much anything to do with the "hour record" (i.e. the prestigious record for how much distance a cyclist can cover from a standstill in one hour, in a velodrome), but they're a bunch of dirty snobby bastards (imo) and don't like people doing things in "weird" ways. They have a history of looking down on anyone (like Graeme Obree, who is a total badass) who sets new hour records using unconventional bikes or cycling positions, so they have made rules against these. Apparently they only want people setting records by shelling out fucktons of money on cutting-edge equipment and non-doping certifications, and being really goddamn fit. Creative problem solving is essentially not welcome, according to the UCI. Well, fuck them.
Enter the IHPVA (International Human Powered Vehicle Association), which actually supports creativity and innovation and general backyard hackery (combined with physical fitness) to set records. The folks at the IHPVA want to see what human power can do when it's not constrained by arbitrary rules and limitations; they encourage outside-the-box thinking, which is arguably one of the greatest powers we humans have.
For a bit of context, the UCI's current hour record stands at 56.792 km (which is incredible; nobody you know can even come close to doing that)... The IHPVA hour record stands at 92.590 km (outdoors, on imperfect pavement). And both of these records were achieved with nothing but human power.
