Two friends from France, Nicolas Barrioz and David Peyrou, have achieved a Guinness World Record for building the tallest rideable bicycle. Their creation, nicknamed "Starbike," towers over riders at a staggering 25 feet, 5 inches tall, surpassing the previous record by a significant 1 foot, 2 inches.
The idea for this sky-high bicycle originated during a casual pub conversation. Fueled by inspiration, Barrioz and Peyrou embarked on a five-year journey, dedicating two years to the construction itself. The process undoubtedly had its challenges, as Barrioz alluded to in his statement to Guinness World Records: "It is not possible to tell you the blood, sweat, and tears."
Despite the difficulties, their perseverance paid off. Starbike now holds the official title of the world's tallest rideable bicycle.
According to Guinness World Records, the tyres were provided free of charge by Michelin, whose headquarters are in Clermont-Ferrand, the city where David and Nicolas unveiled their record-breaking bike at an annual bicycle festival.
To prove it worked and to officially earn the record, David rode it unassisted over a 100-metre distance.
"The speed of the bike was the key to its stability," Nicolas revealed. "It had to go at least 15-20 km/h [9-12 mph]."
The bicycle is made from alloys, steel, and wood, which were mostly obtained from recycled furniture.
"Wood is an interesting material from an ecological perspective," Nicolas said. "In my opinion, it will replace alloy in bicycle-frame construction in a few decades because of mineral shortages."
Looking back on the hundreds of hours they spent in the workshop, Nicolas said, "It is not possible to tell you the blood, sweat, and tears.
"This experience has completely transformed my worldview. Before this, I really needed self-confidence; I was shy and had a negative self-opinion. Now it's better, and sometimes I feel unstoppable; I think I can repair, build, or design anything."
Nicolas and David are now considering breaking another world record by building the smallest rideable bicycle. The current record is 8.4 cm (3.31 in), nearly 100 times smaller than their supersized bike.
