At 25.5 FT, Starbike Is the World's Tallest Bicycle and Requires a Safety Harness to Ride

People who seek international glory by means of a certification from the Guinness Book of World Records do so for a variety of reasons. Some are hoping for fame, while others do it because there is (or was) some money involved in the form of a cash prize. Fewer do it just because they want to show the world and themselves that they can and then, even less contenders do it to highlight a cause.

Nicolas and David fall at the intersection of the last two groups, and their story starts in the way many great Guinness stories start: one night when they were out drinking with friends…

Nicolas Barrioz and David Peyrou are the two gentlemen and cyclists to be presented with the Guinness certificate for the creation of the world's tallest rideable bicycle. It has all the components you will find on any regular bike, including a seatpost and saddle, two wheels, brakes, and a handlebar.

But this is where similarities stop. Starbike, which is what Nicolas and David are calling their creation, sits 7.7 meters (25.5 feet) high, which means it's taller than the previous record holder by an impressive 36 cm (1.2 feet).

The idea for Starbike came to be in 2019 but only started to take physical shape in 2022 when the pair began working on it. The idea was the result of a friendly bet, where Nicolas said that he could build a bicycle that would break the Guinness record. In the process, he teamed up with David, who took on the impressive role of rider, and aimed to use their creation as a showcase of the amazing things you can achieve with €1,000 ($1,076 at the current exchange rate), a tool kit, and "big dreams."

With this kind of money, you could buy yourself a new entry-level e-bike that won't kill you the first time you hop on it, but that would defeat the purpose of the pair's project. Nicolas and David also wanted to build Starbike so they could use it to highlight and promote the benefits of cycling, both for our health and the environment.

Guinness notes that the two are working with a non-profit on that, which probably explains the huge red eye in the frame of the bike. Strangely though, Guinness doesn't name the NGO and we could find no traces of it or the Starbike project online, so maybe their work is only at the beginning.

Starbike features a frame made of alloy, steel, and wood – mostly upcycled from old furniture in keeping with the sustainability focus of the project. Speaking with Guinness, Nicolas notes that wood will probably come to replace aluminum alloy in the future "because of mineral shortages." He's not alone in believing wood to be a better alternative, as any craftsman building wood bikes will tell you.

Starbike is a traditional, pedal-assisted bicycle, where power is sent to the rear wheel via an impressive 16-meter (53-foot) chain. For the fun of it, the duo also put a bell on it, "in case other road users have not seen you."

Perhaps the most surprising part about the Starbike is that it rides on standard-sized wheels, clad in Michelin-provided tires. Because Michelin offered to chip in free of charge, the pair chose to unveil the machine at an annual bike fest that took place in Clermont-Ferrand, where Michelin is headquartered.

To qualify for the title of world's tallest rideable bike, with emphasis on "rideable," the duo had to prove it could be… well, ridden. A 100-meter (328-foot) section of straight but paved road was chosen for the task, with a pair of street light maintenance vehicles at each end. These served to show David, the rider, the start and end point of his ride, but also to allow him to lean on the railings for support.

As video shot on the occasion shows, David was also strapped into a safety harness, but Guinness stresses that this didn't impact the bike's stability. The only thing that affected stability, according to the two builders, was speed, so David tried to make it roll at speeds of 15-20 kph (9-12 mph).

If this sounds like a tricky job, it looked even trickier as it happened. The unevenness of the paved road didn't help either, but Starbike was able to complete the test ride without incidents.

Speaking with Guinness about the challenging project, which saw them spend three years designing the bike and sourcing materials, and then another two just on building it, Nicolas said, "It is not possible to tell you the blood sweat and tears."

But while it might be difficult to put into words the amount of effort that went into this, they're already eyeing their next project – and record breaker: Nicolas and David are planning to build the smallest rideable bicycle. The current record holder is only 8.4 cm (3.31 inches) tall, so they have their job cut out for them. At least a fall from this bike doesn't have the potential to be fatal.