Pranking your buddies is a delicate art form. Done properly, pranks are talked about for years to come. Done poorly they remain legendary, but there\u2019s one less person in your riding crew.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s a very blurry line there. Ideally, you don\u2019t want to cross it. You want confusion, mild inconvenience and maybe even a brief existential crisis. But you don\u2019t want actual damage, emotional trauma or your buddy silently loading his bike onto the rack and driving away forever. Especially if he\u2019s your ride. And if you\u2019re not sure, yes, putting sardines in somebody\u2019s downtube storage definitely crosses that line.<\/p>\n
Here are a few classics that walk the fine line between hilarious and friendship-ending.<\/p>\n
Battery removal<\/p>\n
If there\u2019s one great thing about wireless components that we can all agree on, it\u2019s their prankability. Seatpost batteries and derailleur batteries are just dying to be removed. If your buddy leans their bike against a tree and walks away for even 15 seconds, simply remove the battery and quietly slip it in your pocket. Then act completely normal.<\/p>\n
The beauty of this prank is how quickly panic sets in. They\u2019ll start clicking through gears while muttering things about firmware updates and electronic failures. Be ready with the helpful IT question, \u201cdid you turn it off and on again?\u201d<\/p>\n
Eventually you should probably give the battery back.<\/p>\n
Rockin\u2019 bars<\/p>\n
This one is old-school, lo-fi and absolutely awesome. It only really works with lock-on grips, but if you can get a few minutes alone with somebody\u2019s bike, remove the grip and toss a couple tiny pebbles or ball bearings into the handlebar before putting everything back together. That\u2019s it.<\/p>\n
Now every rough section of trail produces a mysterious rattling sound from somewhere inside the bike. A friend of mine was the victim of this years ago and it took weeks to figure out what was going on. To this day he still doesn\u2019t know who did it. And honestly? That makes it a perfect prank.<\/p>\n
Release the Boa<\/p>\n
This one comes courtesy of my son, who apparently enjoys psychological warfare. We\u2019ll be standing around at the top of the trail waiting to drop in and he\u2019ll yell something motivational like, \u201cLet\u2019s do this!\u201d<\/p>\n
At the exact same moment, he leans over and pops the Boa dial on my riding shoe. Suddenly one shoe is flopping around while everyone else disappears into the woods. It is unbelievably annoying.<\/p>\n
Which also makes it an excellent prank.<\/p>\n
Dude, where\u2019s my bike?<\/p>\n
OK. This one requires restraint. As somebody who has had multiple bikes stolen in the past, I personally think you need to tread carefully here. You do not want your friend genuinely believing their bike vanished forever.<\/p>\n
That said, briefly moving somebody\u2019s bike behind a building or around a corner creates one of the funniest facial expressions in mountain biking. There\u2019s a very specific moment where confusion turns into complete panic. Eyes widen. Neck starts rubbernecking everywhere. Internal screaming begins. Just don\u2019t drag it out too long. Or be prepared for vengeance. Also be prepared to get violently tackled while performing said prank. True story.<\/p>\n