So, I saw this crazy video online about the tallest bike in the world, and I just had to try and build something similar. I mean, how hard could it be, right? Famous last words, I guess.
Step 1: The Delusional Planning Phase
First, I grabbed some scrap metal I had lying around in my garage. I’m no engineer, but I figured I could just, you know, weld some stuff together. I sketched out this super ambitious design on a napkin – it was going to be EPIC. Think two, maybe three bikes stacked on top of each other. Easy peasy.
Step 2: Reality Bites (Hard)
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I pulled out the bikes from the garage to be used.
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I started by trying to weld two bike frames together. That… did not go well. The metal warped, my welds looked like bird droppings, and the whole thing was just a wobbly mess. It wouldn’t stand up to the force required to ride it.
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I attempted to balance the bikes on top of each other. And obviously It’s going to fall, it’s not stable yet.
Step 3: Rethinking My Life Choices (and Bike Design)
Okay, so maybe three bikes was a bit much. I scaled back my ambitions – drastically. I decided to just focus on making one bike taller, using some extra-long metal poles for the forks and seat post.
Step 4: More Welding, More Problems
I spent hours, trying to use longer poles to create a taller frame, but it just kept getting more and more unstable.
Step 5: Success! (Sort Of)
Finally with many tries, I got all the parts needed. The bike stands and it is tall!
Then I tried riding it. And It was terrifying, and I definitely fell a few times. I realized that, yeah, it’s difficult, but it’s so fun.
So, yeah, I didn’t build the tallest bike in the world. But I built a taller bike, and I learned a lot about welding (mostly that I’m not very good at it). And hey, I didn’t break any bones, so I’m calling it a win!
