The smallest bicycle

Today we’re going to talk about bicycle records, not in terms of speed and endurance, but in terms of the size of the units. Would you like to try your hand at agility by getting on the world’s smallest bicycle you can ride and riding to the delighted cheers of those around you? How about the pleasure of looking at the details of a microscopic bicycle, invisible to the naked eye?

The smallest bicycle under a microscope

Nikolay Aldunin, the Tula master of micro-miniature, has been called “the modern Left-handed”. He, like the book hero, created his first miniature – a microscopic flea, which he shod and “gifted” with a saddle and stirrups. Subsequently, about 30 amazing miniatures of pure gold came out from under his talented hands, among them:

• the famous Tula samovar, smaller than a grain of sugar;
• a caravan of camels and palm trees that fit freely in the eye of a needle;
• a tank and the Ostankino TV tower on apple bones;
• a Kalashnikov assault rifle across a regular match;
• and, of course, a 2-millimeter microscopic bicycle cleverly placed on a needle.

It took the Russian jeweler several long months to create such works. They did not use soulless nanotechnology, but amazing talent, universal patience and extremely manual labor!

Miniature souvenir bicycles

Riding souvenir bikes, as well as microscopic ones, of course, will not work, but such trinkets perfectly decorate the interior and delight their owners.

Manufacturers offer souvenirs for the decor in the form of a couple in love on a bike or in the form of a bike with a stand for a vase. You can also find models, similar to the real bikes, with baskets, where it is convenient to store all sorts of things like threads, buttons, jewelry. For lovers of fine trinkets you can buy small gilded bike figurines with Swarovski crystals. You can also buy a bottle holder in the shape of a bicycle.

For keys we can offer a lot of key rings with bicycle models. And lovers of commonplace should look for models of “bike-clock” on a chain, which look very original.

The smallest bike you can ride

In the spring of 1988, the Guinness Book of World Records recorded the record for riding the smallest bicycle at the time, with a wheel diameter of only 1.9 cm and a frame height of just over 3 cm. It had a handlebars, a saddle, a transmission – everything as it should be. Neville Patten, the Australian inventor of this tiny bike, rode it for 4.1 meters.

To date, it is believed that the author of the world’s smallest bicycle to ride is two-time champion of the USSR, three-time world champion and five-time winner of the championships on cycling races, Sergey Dashevsky. This man has for many years designed unusual bicycles and now his collection includes 40 bicycles and velomobiles, the smallest of which is only 8.5 cm – but it can only be ridden by the inventor himself:

Designer does not stop there and created a bike even smaller – only 7.5 cm, but even he still does not manage to “ride” the bike and ride with the wind.

Conclusion

You got acquainted with the models of the smallest bikes in the world, both microscopic and those that can be ridden. In a busy car city, a small bike is a great solution for getting from home to the office and back. It’s easy to slip it into a bag or backpack, or put it in the corner of the room. Maybe there will come a time when everyone will get on small bikes and ride them around the city, keeping the streets clean and the air fresh.