Designed and built by eight Dutch engineers, the world’s longest bicycle measures 55.16 meters in length, nearly equivalent to the length of four double-decker buses.
According to Oddity Central, Ivan Schalk, a 39-year-old, has dreamed of creating the world’s longest bicycle since he read about it in the Guinness Book of World Records as a child. In 2018, he embarked on this project as a way to fill his free time.
The world’s longest metal bicycle. (Photo: O.C).
Knowing that building this bicycle would not be an easy task, Schalk sought the help of engineers from his hometown of Prinsenbeek, known for its technological expertise. Together, they dedicated about four years—excluding a two-year interruption due to the COVID-19 pandemic—to create the world’s longest bicycle, a metal vehicle requiring at least two riders.
“I have been thinking about this idea for many years. The goal was to break the record for the longest bicycle in the world. To achieve this, we considered all the rules of the Guinness World Records,” Schalk stated.
However, setting the record was not as straightforward as the team initially thought. Their first attempt took place on June 3, 2023, but they did not receive confirmation from Guinness until around November 2023. Unfortunately, the title they achieved was for the world’s longest tandem bicycle, not the longest bicycle as they had hoped. For Schalk, this was a significant distinction, as his team aimed solely to break the record for the longest bicycle.
According to Guinness regulations, a maximum of two people are allowed to sit on the 55.16-meter-long bicycle, with one person at the front and one at the back. However, the bicycle designed by Schalk’s team included a seat for a third person on the long metal frame connecting the front and back. This led Guinness to determine that the bicycle did not qualify to set the record for the longest bicycle in the world.
Despite feeling quite disappointed with this decision, the research team decided to continue pursuing their original goal and aimed for two new records—the world’s longest tandem bicycle and the largest operational bicycle for two people.
Admire the world’s longest bicycle.
After continuous efforts, they recently succeeded in achieving both world records. This special bicycle has also become a source of pride for the Prinsenbeek community.
Interestingly, the front and back parts of the bicycle used metal rented from a metal manufacturing company in Breda that specializes in building stages for events. After setting the record, they returned those parts to the company, while the rest of the bicycle was transferred to the local history museum in Prinsenbeek.
