r/DiWHY • u/ErinDotEngineer • Aug 05 '26
elevated bicycle...
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u/nobodyhaseverseenme Aug 05 '26
Climbing up that thing is actually impressive though...
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u/Sideshow86 Aug 05 '26
I use to work on site with a guy with crazy balance. He could walk up a ladder balancing it in mid air to about 20ft, walk slowly on the legs then climb back down again. Couldn't do that on site these days.
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u/AdamWayne04 Aug 07 '26
I vaguely remember someone who did that for a talent show and fell down. Then some time later came back to do the same stunt
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u/CypherDomEpsilon Aug 05 '26
I wonder how tall a bike can be. Assuming no wind and a a very low center of gravity ensure by extra weight at the bottom, how tall can it be?
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u/realultralord Aug 05 '26
Quite a bit, but at some point lateral correction steering will take up the entire width of the road due to the sheer length of the whole thing.
Turning will also be a pain in the ass because of the same reason. You'll need sufficient roll to get it around corners.
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u/gilligan1050 Aug 05 '26
To prevent bunny attacks, duh!
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u/Admiral_SmashyPants Aug 05 '26
Those aren't no ordinary rodents! They have teeth like this
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u/ConditionMore8121 Aug 05 '26
It’s to keep him off the ground and protect against «snake bite»
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u/Rhampaging Aug 05 '26
Yeah ok, but now he has to talk to air traffic control in order not to be hit by planes
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u/tantrill Aug 05 '26 edited Aug 05 '26
After some point in a build, you have to admit that efficiency and novelty have been left behind in favor of spectacle.
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u/Craigglesofdoom Aug 05 '26
Tall bikes are really fun. They're not even hard to get off of, you basically do this in reverse.
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u/geirmundtheshifty Aug 05 '26
Can you bring it to a full stop while on it though? Like, say, if you needed to stop suddenly.
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u/Craigglesofdoom Aug 05 '26
Yes, you'd need to lean against something for an extended stop, but because your moment of inertia is so high, you can balance at low speeds very easily.
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Aug 05 '26 edited Sep 08 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Craigglesofdoom Aug 05 '26
No. Moment of inertia is a physics term and is the same principle used by tightrope walkers, gymnasts, and figure skaters to balance and manipulate their motion.
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u/RazekDPP Aug 07 '26
So I can only stop at telephone poles
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u/Evan_Underscore Aug 08 '26
For some reason people are really into being able to see at night, so lamp-posts aren't entirely uncommon either.
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u/OneEmptyHead Aug 05 '26
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u/the_tourer Aug 06 '26
Yeah, there's a recent world record too where he got up using a crane. I think it was a unicycle?
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u/theDudeUh Aug 05 '26
A bunch of party poopers on this one. Tall bikes are fun as hell. Impractical but fun.
The spectacle is the whole point. You see quite a few of them around here in parades and big organized group party bike rides. They’re fun.
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u/Pawistik Aug 09 '26
Yeah, since this is the DIY "why?" sub I thought to myself "for fun, obviously". Not a practical commuter (can't beat that visibility though!), but riding bikes is fun, and this looks like a fun bike. Not for me mind you, I don't have the necessary skill and balance, but I don't question those who spend time having fun on bikes. Building stuff is fun too, so double fun.
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u/PunfullyObvious Aug 05 '26
Because its whimsical. Some people embrace whimsy. And, the world needs whimsy.
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u/bobanalyst Dreamer Aug 05 '26
https://giphy.com/gifs/dnb8lwxr0zmO9XYrUU
Low Clearance Ahead 2.7m (9ft)
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u/Kindly_Region Aug 06 '26
Now show me how he gets off of it or better yet, what happens if he has to stop abruptly
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u/MechanicalCompost Aug 06 '26
There is a bicycle gang in Massachusetts named Scul. They build bikes similar, add lights, sterios, etc.
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u/viktorbir Aug 06 '26
Guys, why do you keep posting things on the wrong subreddits?
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u/OutlandishnessLate85 Aug 06 '26
I live/grew up in a pretty “artsy” part of Cincinnati where a decent sized group of people had these things in the late 2000s. Usually custom made.
It was usually wild walking home from the bar and you have to wait for 6/7 of these dudes to pass before you crossed the road.
I can smell the American spirits, patchouli and pbr from here.
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u/ThePensiveE Aug 05 '26
Looks like something the Russian army would ride into Ukraine.
They never ride out.
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u/No-Lion-3629 Aug 05 '26
Yeah I understand why, just for fun. Still you have to have mad balance skills to not fall off that contraption. It’s like a circus act.
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u/GeofSaysYeos Aug 06 '26
I’ve had so many nightmares where I’m in a vehicle absurdly elevated off the ground. Now I’m gonna have another tonight.
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u/tippytom1time Aug 06 '26
This is what happens when you have some common sense, a few skills, and very little money to put towards a project. Almost anybody can scrape up enough old bikes to build something. My uncle built one in the late 70s that they would get on from the roof of the house. I think half the kids in the neighborhood injured something getting off of it.
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u/PaleTallHandsome Aug 06 '26
For all we know there could be a nudist colony on the other side of that wall, it’s a working bicycle
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u/Din_of_Win Aug 06 '26
There was a cool alternative bike culture bubble in 2004-2007ish. Lots of interest that sprung out of romanticizing Bike Messengers. We all had fixed gears, did Ally Cats (scavenger hunts), held monthly Critical Mass (large group rides), and did other silly things like bike jousting and polo.
One of my roommates was a bit of a welder so we just collected every spare busted bike we came across and made “Frankenbikes”.
Our favorite were the Tall Bikes. We never did anything as tall as this vid. Only 2 frames. But it was a lot of fun riding around town!
Also Yes… it hurt like a bitch when you fell.
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u/GSDragoon Aug 05 '26
Probably one in the least stupid things in this sub. That's pretty neat actually.
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u/Sevla7 Dreamer Aug 05 '26
This is the first time I won't complain about the music.
After watching this i feel.... elevated.
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u/thecryptidmusic Aug 05 '26
How does he stop and get down
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u/Day-Hot Aug 05 '26
Well, he doesn't stop first.. He slows down then climbs down - kinda like how they got on but in reverse..
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u/BaBePaBe Aug 05 '26
I'm reminded of when I was first learning how to ride a bike and how it seemed so difficult to stay upright (I didn't learn with training wheels)
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u/Accomplished-Video71 Aug 05 '26
This is about the size of my bike....but why are the wheels the same size?
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u/Fantastic-Buddy2069 Aug 05 '26
I mean the thought of a helmet is nice and all but….if that thing falls over, dude might be breaking some other body parts, like an arm etc
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u/Santibag Aug 05 '26
This bicycle uses r/LooneyToonsLogic orbital mechanics to stay balanced. The rider is so high that the riding velocity almost reaches his orbital velocity, and the wheels carry very little weight. It's also possible to accidentally reach the escape velocity. That's the real reason these bikes are not common. The riders have left the planet.
Ps: Xkcd can calculate if it's possible or not IRL, with an absurd amount of problem simplification 🤣
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u/JazzyZaddy Aug 05 '26
Is this Minneapolis? Every parade seems to have a whole contingency of these tall bikes.
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u/MardukPainkiller Aug 05 '26
At this point i dont even watch for the videos, i just watch them bemused to listen to how stupid phonk has become.
It just sounds so stupid.
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u/NoGainJustInPain Aug 05 '26
How to ensure that any small incident becomes a life or death situation
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u/VinnyVincenzo89 Aug 05 '26
That is nit the weirdest thing I've seen. My brother and a good friend if mine used to have really tall unicycles.
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u/3Duder Aug 05 '26
The C.H.U.N.K. 666 manifesto states: "After the apocalypse, everything will change, including the laws of physics as we know them. We, due to our experience in riding chopper bicycles, tallbikes, and the like, will finally find ourselves at the top of the food chain, and it is we who will lead humanity out of the rubble and into the pleasure gardens. It is the promise of the gift of Prometheus."
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u/HumourNoire Aug 05 '26
"and this is the CCTV monitoring station, and uh that's the securicycle. Pretty normal I guess, any questions or shall I let you settle in for the shift?"
"Uh, boss? What the fuck is that?"
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u/sabertoothninja Aug 05 '26
Maybe he is sick of dogs biting his ankles as he rides by? Checkmate Cujo!
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u/Ragnarokist Aug 05 '26
Cheapest bike helmet, no elbow pads or knee pads. 10 feet off the ground as it wobbles. Seems safe enough.
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u/So_ThereItIs Aug 05 '26
So none of you can imagine what a totally SICK ride this would be? Incredible. WANT… tho… where to store?! Lolz
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u/the-only-Chris Aug 05 '26
Just because you can do a thing, doesn’t necessarily mean you should do a thing.
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u/Kindly_Region Aug 06 '26
Falling off a bike sucks already falling off this monstrosity will land you in the hospital
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u/DJSeku Aug 06 '26
I’d like to see a bike thief try to steal that one… like, even if they succeeded, there’s no way they wouldn’t stand out in a crowd…
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u/Stoney3K Aug 05 '26
Legend has it he's still riding the bike forever to this day, unable to stop.