Orange cones marked out a course in the parking lot of Hilton Coliseum as men in leather gear raced through them, knees sticking out as they rode mini street bikes.

More than 50 people gathered to watch a pocket bike race hosted by the ISU Motorcycle Club on Saturday in the parking lot of Hilton Coliseum.

“They sit two feet high, so they are really small,” said Steve Schreiber, vice president of the ISU Motorcycle Club. “We noticed more and more people on campus with pocket bikes, so we decided to have a race.”

Schreiber and Bill Cran, ISU Motorcycle Club member, helped organize the race. Cran said they organized the race to let people have the opportunity to use their pocket bikes legally.

“They are for racing purposes only,” he said.

Races for pocket bikes are limited in the area, but Cran said there is a track in Marshalltown.

Theresa Redding, senior in entomology, said she came out to watch the race because it is fun.

“It’s funny to watch these guys race,” she said.

Redding, who owns her own pocket bike, said she does not race hers because she has not yet mastered staying upright on it.

“I don’t know how the guys do it,” she said.

Most of the members of the club who own pocket bikes got them during the fall or winter, Cran said.

He said the bikes have ranged in price from $600 to $700 in the past, but they are now available for less than $300. He said the price shift is because of the availability of a Chinese model in the United States.

Wanda Mortvedt, food service coordinator for ISU Dining, brought her daughter and son to the races. She said they came to the race for a chance to win the pocket bike the club was raffling off.

“It’s different. It wouldn’t be something I’d do,” she said about the racing.

Pocket bikes weren’t the only street bike present. Matt Anderson, of Willmar, Minn., brought a modified 50 cubic centimeter dirt bike and a motorized scooter to the race. He said he thinks the popularity of pocket bikes and other street bikes can be attributed to their entertainment value.

“This is the funnest thing out there,” he said.

Ruben Aramis, an ISU alumnus who lives in Ames, said he likes to watch pocket bike races, but has no plan to purchase one.

“It’s kind of dangerous. At my age … I could get hurt,” he said.

Doug Houghton, Department of Public Safety parking manager, said although he has noticed an increase in the popularity of motorcycles, he has not noticed many pocket bikes on campus. He said he thinks it is because pocket bikes are not conducive to the needs of students who bring motorcycles to campus.

“It’s a novelty item; it’s a fun thing,” he said.