If you're reading this, you've probably seen at least one "funny bike": you know, the kind with one frame is stacked on top of another.
I've seen as many as four frames stacked up, with I-don't-know-how-many kilometers of chain connecting the cranks bearing the pedals with conveyor cogs and the sprocket that spins the chain that drives the rear wheel. It was parked, so I don't know who (or whether anyone) rode it, let alone how he or she would have mounted such a machine.
Turns out, that bike wasn't nearly as tall as one someone rode (yes, rode) at Ciclavia, a car-free bike ride through Los Angeles streets.
Now I'm going to show you how much of an East Coaster I am: I can't believe I typed the "car-free" and "Los Angeles" in the same sentence. Still, I find it even more incredible that someone was actually astride that contraption.
If you really want to be amazed, here's a video of someone riding it:
I've seen as many as four frames stacked up, with I-don't-know-how-many kilometers of chain connecting the cranks bearing the pedals with conveyor cogs and the sprocket that spins the chain that drives the rear wheel. It was parked, so I don't know who (or whether anyone) rode it, let alone how he or she would have mounted such a machine.
Turns out, that bike wasn't nearly as tall as one someone rode (yes, rode) at Ciclavia, a car-free bike ride through Los Angeles streets.
Now I'm going to show you how much of an East Coaster I am: I can't believe I typed the "car-free" and "Los Angeles" in the same sentence. Still, I find it even more incredible that someone was actually astride that contraption.
If you really want to be amazed, here's a video of someone riding it:
That intrepid cyclist is 14.5 feet (about 4 meters) above Santa Monica Boulevard, or wherever he was riding. Although I admire him, I don't think I would try it at home--or L.A., or anywhere else.
If that bike were ever to come to New York, its name would help it to fit right in: It's called Stoopidtall.
