Skip to main content

Cycling heavyweight

A German man from Schleswig-Holstein has set a new world record. With his 1.1tonne bicycle he has now had his name listed by the Guinness World Records for the world’s heaviest bicycle. The man rode his monster, self-built bicycle a distance of 100m to claim the record, beating the previous title holder which tipped the scales at a mere 860kg. Because of its immense size and weight, the bicycle did have to be equipped with training wheels at the rear to ensure it remained stable. Novel features for the bicy
January 27, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
A German man from Schleswig-Holstein has set a new world record. With his 1.1tonne bicycle he has now had his name listed by the Guinness World Records for the world’s heaviest bicycle. The man rode his monster, self-built bicycle a distance of 100m to claim the record, beating the previous title holder which tipped the scales at a mere 860kg. Because of its immense size and weight, the bicycle did have to be equipped with training wheels at the rear to ensure it remained stable. Novel features for the bicycle include secondhand tyres previously fitted to a muck spreader and a seat made of a beer crate, with a piece of bent sheet steel bolted on top. A low gear ratio ensured the man had sufficient strength to cover the distance required to claim the record, while clocking a cruising speed of 5km/h. Its enormous weight and low gear ratio means that its use for long distance cycle touring or regular commuting will be out of the question. The man, a truck driver, said he found inspiration to build his bicycle while sitting by a local canal and watching the ships go by.

Related Content

  • Innovative road construction
    February 19, 2024
    Wirtgen is introducing an innovative concept for road construction in the shape of its new WRC 240(i) rock crusher. The machine has been developed from the firm’s proven soil stabiliser technology and is designed to break coarse rocks in-situ, as found in hand-packed pavement layers.
  • Chinese construction equipment manufacturers increasing export focus
    December 2, 2013
    Chinese firms are growing their expertise in terms of products and international sales – Mike Woof reports China’s major off-highway construction equipment manufacturers have grown in a relatively short period and now number amongst the largest players in the sector. Some of the key firms are looking to boost exports and are providing tough competition, particularly in the emergent markets. Best known for its wheeled loaders, LiuGong has been developing its excavator range, with production of the E
  • Winning formula for formwork
    July 19, 2012
    An unusual application of formwork took place recently in France, while formwork using one particular engineering construction kit was used for the first time in Poland. Guy Woodford reports An 80m long wild game underpass is an innovative feature of the Route Nationale 88 (RN 88) expansion in south-west France. For construction of the arched underpass tunnel, a PERI tunnel formwork carriage using VARIOKIT engineering construction kit was used. Thanks to the equipment’s easy handling, along with pre-assembl
  • Construction equipment market to grow - CEA report
    February 29, 2012
    The UK’s Construction Equipment Association attracted a large audience for its annual general meeting.