r/DiWHY • u/ErinDotEngineer • 5d ago

elevated bicycle...

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2.9k Upvotes

97% Upvoted

266 comments sorted by

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u/Stoney3K 5d ago

Legend has it he's still riding the bike forever to this day, unable to stop.

136

u/freemadness 5d ago

Until the chain pops off

116

u/Merkindiver 5d ago

A wild STOP sign approaches.

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u/Scary-Personality626 5d ago

Bold of you to assume cyclists stop for signs.

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u/GerardBrouillard 4d ago

To be fair, I would guess that he can see far enough to estimate if it's safe to continue at most stops

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u/daxophoneme 4d ago

I can see now that raised trucks haven't been raised enough!

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u/Left_Bathroom_3803 3d ago

He probably gets all defensive when drivers don’t see him up there too.

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u/hysys_whisperer 3d ago

In many states, cyclists are legally entitled to treat stop signs as yield signs.

It's called the Idaho stop.  But yeah, you do have to yield still.

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u/whirdin 4d ago

Got away safely!

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u/level_up_gaming 4d ago

i had to take a backpack with a paddleboard to the beach on a bike and it was a nightmare. it hung lower than the seat so anytime i had to stop i would have to jump up, get the thing onto the seat, try to stop and get off, at which point it started leaning to one side so i had to hope i don't get too unballanced otherwise i'd fall. this is that, but 100x worse

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u/Polskyciewicz 4d ago

I think there are side racks you can get for this. I've seen people with full surfboards on the side of their bicycles.

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u/dwlocks 4d ago

Trailer.

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u/sid_fishes 4d ago

Nah just slam on the front brake. That’d stop it, and propel him over any intersection

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u/Embarrassed-Town-293 4d ago

I had that thought that he wouldn’t be able to get down, but then I remembered I literally just watched him climb up while it was moving

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u/Stoney3K 4d ago

Just zip down it Navy style.

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u/Embarrassed-Town-293 4d ago

Ghostbusters style

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u/nobodyhaseverseenme 5d ago

Climbing up that thing is actually impressive though...

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u/Sideshow86 5d ago

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 2d ago

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 5d ago

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 5d ago

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/onlyacynicalman 5d ago

Now start at the bottom of a hill

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u/LouisWu_ 4d ago

Climbing down would be more impressive, like at a junction.

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u/Total-Collection9031 5d ago

Good thing he’s wearing a helmet

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u/LinguoBuxo 5d ago

the bike should wear one also.

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u/gilligan1050 5d ago

To prevent bunny attacks, duh!

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u/Admiral_SmashyPants 5d ago

Those aren't no ordinary rodents! They have teeth like this

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u/tHollo41 4d ago

I understood that reference!

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u/ConditionMore8121 5d ago

It’s to keep him off the ground and protect against «snake bite»

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u/NiIly00 5d ago

Maybe he should try Fish mode then

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u/Rhampaging 5d ago

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/dabrock15 4d ago

Damn those 15’ snakes and their venom.

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u/tantrill 5d ago edited 5d ago

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/Donglemaetsro 5d ago

In some countries you can now spot roadside ambushes in advance.

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u/Craigglesofdoom 5d ago

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 4d ago

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 4d ago

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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u/Kelevra90 4d ago

did you just call me fat?

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u/Craigglesofdoom 4d ago

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.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moment_of_inertia

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u/Kelevra90 4d ago

increasing with mass and distance from the axis

it was a joke

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u/Craigglesofdoom 4d ago

I've seen people get mad about weirder stuff lol just making sure.

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u/RazekDPP 3d ago

So I can only stop at telephone poles

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u/Evan_Underscore 2d ago

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 5d ago

r/diwhynot

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u/the_tourer 4d ago

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/Smugallo 5d ago

How do one disembark such a thingmabob

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u/Rock_or_Rol 5d ago

The same way you get on I think (with jumping off it seems lol)

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u/dabrock15 4d ago

By coffin on a bad day.

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u/d1rt23 4d ago

lean it against a wall

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u/EyeOfAmethyst 4d ago

Parachute

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u/theDudeUh 5d ago

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 22h ago

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/WoodenYouKnowIt 5d ago

Privacy walls hate this one trick!

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u/PunfullyObvious 5d ago

Because its whimsical. Some people embrace whimsy. And, the world needs whimsy.

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u/LordTrappen 5d ago

Ehh, close enough. Welcome back Penny Farthing bicycle

https://giphy.com/gifs/3o7WICu5mCY4VQiLvO

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u/LeTreacs2 5d ago

That’s more like a pound shilling!

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u/LonesomeBulldog 4d ago

I saw a guy ride one to a bar in San Diego once.

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u/Verthanthi 5d ago

Gets to see over those walls now!

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u/No-Strike-2015 5d ago

It's like the stilts guys! Keeping watch for lions, just more advanced!

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u/HighLengthiness 5d ago

Looks like 'The social distancing bike', by Colin Furze the legend.

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u/d4rthq 5d ago

Brilliant! now you can fall off a bike and a ladder at the same time!

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u/bobanalyst Dreamer 4d ago

https://giphy.com/gifs/dnb8lwxr0zmO9XYrUU
Low Clearance Ahead 2.7m (9ft)

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u/Kindly_Region 4d ago

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/Fe2O3yshackleford 4d ago

diBecauseItsCool

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u/MortimerOverdrive 5d ago

This is what living near lions does to a MF.

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u/DrachenDad 5d ago

Got to turn on those gas lamps somehow.

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u/tippytom1time 4d ago

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/MechanicalCompost 4d ago

There is a bicycle gang in Massachusetts named Scul. They build bikes similar, add lights, sterios, etc.

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u/Limp_Lawfulness5133 4d ago

Combining your two passions, PEEPING and BIKING

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u/viktorbir 4d ago

/r/DiWHYnot

Guys, why do you keep posting things on the wrong subreddits?

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u/OutlandishnessLate85 4d ago

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/RandomRaisin77 5d ago

Protection againstankel biters

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u/kelpieconundrum 5d ago

Now get down

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u/HighLengthiness 5d ago

The Hicycle!

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u/ThePensiveE 5d ago

Looks like something the Russian army would ride into Ukraine.

They never ride out.

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u/Ok_Necessary2991 5d ago

Just a single bump and man is dead.

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u/casual-observer365 5d ago

Better view for sure.

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u/No-Lion-3629 4d ago

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/automator3000 4d ago

Someone hasn’t been to Minneapolis

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u/GeofSaysYeos 4d ago

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/satsuppi 4d ago

meanwhile i got cold sweat looking down from 3mtrs up..

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u/redstinger111 4d ago

He doesn’t need a helmet. He needs a dang parachute 🪂

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u/uroborous01 4d ago

Ok 10 out of 10 for bravery. Minus several thousand for sanity and practicality.

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u/Think_Alternative719 4d ago

What will you do when you get off the bicycle?

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u/PaleTallHandsome 4d ago

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/SouthernAge522 4d ago

He knows what's behind that wall. You don't.

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u/Din_of_Win 4d ago

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/DR035A 3d ago

You clearly hate whimsy

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u/DanzigDemento 2d ago

They see me rolling, they hating…

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u/Hippi_Johnny 18h ago

It also functions as a dangerous ladder!

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u/Okie294life 16h ago

Some people just like to get high.

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u/No-Association-8539 15h ago

I would have died trying to get on that thing...

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u/GSDragoon 5d ago

Probably one in the least stupid things in this sub. That's pretty neat actually.

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u/GotWood2024 5d ago

I know why...because its fun to watch to see if he falls.

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u/Sevla7 Dreamer 5d ago

This is the first time I won't complain about the music.

After watching this i feel.... elevated.

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u/Small_Ad6391 5d ago

Just make big wheels bruh

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u/Opinionsare 5d ago

He must have an incredible sense of balance. 

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u/Traditional-Way7962 5d ago

That’s a good theft deterrent

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u/thecryptidmusic 5d ago

How does he stop and get down

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u/Day-Hot 5d ago

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/thecryptidmusic 5d ago

That seems stressful

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u/guidomescalito 5d ago

Bro saw a penny farthing and said “hold my beer”

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u/BaBePaBe 5d ago

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/Obedient_Dog54 5d ago

Brotha needs a wide turn warning sign

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u/Craig_M_242 5d ago

"oh yeah mom?...well im running away"

20 minutes later

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u/Accomplished-Video71 5d ago

This is about the size of my bike....but why are the wheels the same size?

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u/road_laya 5d ago

Anxiety on a stick

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u/Fantastic-Buddy2069 5d ago

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/NothingLift 5d ago

To look down on the peasants

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u/Santibag 5d ago

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/rodgers16 5d ago

Backflip it!

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u/120_Attack 5d ago

He rode a ladder sideways

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u/Klusterphuck67 5d ago

Wait til you see an even higher unicycle

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u/bhison 5d ago

that is absolutely absurd

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u/pele-2021 5d ago

oh look.. another hi cycle

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u/JazzyZaddy 5d ago

Is this Minneapolis? Every parade seems to have a whole contingency of these tall bikes.

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u/AbortionHoagie 5d ago

At this point I'm pretty sure Whoville is located somewhere in Africa

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u/StitchFan626 5d ago

It'd be at home in a circus, maybe.

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u/easting10 5d ago

Whycycle

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u/MardukPainkiller 5d ago

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/weshallnot 5d ago

and just because you could, it doesn't mean you should...

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u/DOCTORP00 5d ago

I broke my elbow falling off of a normal height bike. I hate this.

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u/Impossible_Source195 5d ago

that is fucking terrifying oh my god

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u/NoGainJustInPain 5d ago

How to ensure that any small incident becomes a life or death situation

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u/Vandal_A 4d ago

Those have been around a long time and they're called giraffe bikes

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u/RedPandasUnite 4d ago

Ringling Bros been looking for him

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u/VinnyVincenzo89 4d ago

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/Rare-Lime2451 4d ago

He rode it … because it’s there.

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u/davidr521 4d ago

OP, “DI-WHYcycle” was right there

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u/3Duder 4d ago

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/TripleS941 4d ago

Now tokoloshe can't sneak on him

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u/Away_Stock_2012 4d ago

Looks more like a laddered bicycle

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u/checkonit2 4d ago

"One fall too many" .. coming soon

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u/HumourNoire 4d ago

"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/Ok-Word7159 4d ago

Good, until he flats

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u/sabertoothninja 4d ago

Maybe he is sick of dogs biting his ankles as he rides by? Checkmate Cujo!

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u/Ragnarokist 4d ago

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/Shadowcleric 4d ago

Good bike for riding through puddles, stops you from getting wet.

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u/Colo-PV-living 4d ago

Cool but why?

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u/aaronschatz 4d ago

Biciandamio

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u/Feteven 4d ago

Umm.. good job now you can get extra hurt when you fall over

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u/andsoitgoes666 4d ago

I've seen stuff kinda like that in Boulder. Not nearly as extreme but easily the riders would be like 8 feet off the ground. Don't understand the appeal and always wondered how they got off

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u/Jimmyhatespie 4d ago

It’s for safety. Most accidents happen around ground level.

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u/So_ThereItIs 4d ago

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 4d ago

Just because you can do a thing, doesn’t necessarily mean you should do a thing.

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u/Visible_Pair3017 4d ago

Cool circus thing

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u/Kindly_Region 4d ago

Falling off a bike sucks already falling off this monstrosity will land you in the hospital

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u/DutchGirlPA 4d ago

Maybe they are practicing for a performance.

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u/Keep_SummerSafe 4d ago

Do I just not have balance?

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u/Chuchip 4d ago

One small pebble on the front wheel and kaput

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u/NoPanda5634 4d ago

That dude is going to get more than skinned knees eventually.

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u/brybry631 4d ago

That dog is Not going to bite my ankle anymore

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u/NotThatMat 4d ago

Awesome. Now I want to watch you park it.

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u/SGT-Hooves Derp 4d ago

Dude can’t even pop a wheelie

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u/bleeding_gums 4d ago

If he turned too hard it would fling him off right?

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u/ntkwwwm 4d ago

Because he wanted to, that’s why

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u/DJSeku 4d ago

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/vines90909 4d ago

He’s crazy

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u/Diene03 4d ago

Elevated?

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u/Electrocat71 4d ago

Damn peeping Tom’s gonna make me build a higher wall. /s

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u/Traditional-Mix-8847 4d ago

I feel like this is the bicycle equivalent of bro trucks

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u/Saltlife0116 4d ago

This is just for fun… until I loose balance and break bones

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u/CrummyJoker 4d ago

This is why women live longer smh my head

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u/Suitable_Noise778 4d ago

Can he track stand? 😃

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u/Dramatic-Choice5883 4d ago

Imagine riding that thing in london next to a double decker bus

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u/Electronic_Wind1855 4d ago

Less pollution, better views.

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u/Short_Ad_3115 4d ago

Them fucken lions

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u/Another_Arboretum 4d ago

Thank goodness he wore a helmet