In 1993, cyclist “The Flying Scotsman” Graeme Obree installed washing machine parts on a homemade bike. Obree dubbed the rig “Old Faithful” and rode it to , covering 51.596 kilometers (32 miles) in 60 minutes. His record-setting ride on the patchwork bike was riveting enough to get the Hollywood treatment, with Johnny Lee Miller appearing as Obree in the 2006 film, The Flying Scotsman.
Obree would later telling journalists about his jerry-rigged bicycle, lamenting, “Now forever I will be remembered as the washing machine guy.” (Not to be confused with this MIT student-designed .)
The title clearly didn’t bother Obree for long. He in 2012 when he used a burnt saucepan as part of a new bike on which he hopes to break the . This bike’s name? Pie in the Sky.
Moving on from household items, this may be one of the strangest functional bicycles we’ve seen. Made by artist out of clear Lexan panels, the bike almost completely blends into its surroundings. Almost.
A company in Madrid is currently taking orders for bikes hand-crafted out of parts from junked cars. Check out their video below:
In the same sustainability vein, several bike makers have been fashioning , with bamboo as a popular choice.
Then there are the guys you mentioned—an Israeli engineer and his business partner—who promised to revolutionize cycling by introducing $20 cardboard bikes to developing countries. You can to be notified when their project launches on Kickstarter.
Finally, in the category of non-functional bikes, we nominate the as the weirdest thing we’ve seen. Apparently, it’s a popular baby shower gift-slash-centerpiece. Now you know.
Seen a stranger bike? Let us know in the comments below.