Home Today Is The Longest “Tandem” Bicycle Seated 35 People, It Was 67 Feet Long

The Longest “Tandem” Bicycle Seated 35 People, It Was 67 Feet Long

Updated March 13, 2024

The bicycle is one of the most important inventions in the history of the planet. It provides millions of people with a means of transport powered by nothing other than their bodies. It’s practical, reliable, and helps one to stay fit. Many find that it’s a fun and hassle-free way to get around and take care of daily tasks.

In the spirit of that very first trip, let’s take a closer look at World Bicycle Day, June 3, shall we?
  • 1800s – Bikes were first brought to China in the late 1800s. Today over a half billion bicycles pedal throughout the country.
  • 1817 – Karl von Drais, a German baron, invented a horseless carriage that would help him get around faster. The two-wheeled, pedal-less device was propelled by pushing your feet against the ground. The machine became known as the “draisine,” and led to the creation of the modern-day bicycle.
  • 1860s – The word “bicycle” was not coined until the 1860s
  • 1868 – The first commercially sold bicycle “Boneshaker” weighed 80 kg (176 lbs) when it appeared for sale in 1868 in Paris.
  • 1903 – The Tour de France was established.
  • 1985 – The fastest bicyclist is American John Howard. Howard set a land speed record of 152.2 miles per hour on July 20, 1985, on Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats.
  • 2015 – Leszek Sibilski, a sociology professor and cycling and physical education activist, writes a blog post for the World Bank titled, ‘Cycling Is Everyone’s Business.’
  • 2016 – Professor Sibilski publishes another blog post for the World Bank titled, ‘Why is there no World Day for the bicycle?’
  • 2016 – Sibilski speaks at the Scientists for Cycling Colloquium in Taipei, Taiwan, and argues for a World Bicycle Day.
  • 2018 – The United Nations officially designates June 3 as World Bicycle Day.
  • The longest “tandem” bicycle seated 35 people, it was 67 feet long
  • You can fit about 15 bicycles in the same space that one car occupies
  • It is 20 times cheaper to maintain a bicycle than a car
  • If the number of cyclists was tripled, the rate of motorist-bicyclist accidents would be cut in half
  • The world manufactures about 100 million bikes each year
  • Bicycle delivery services have become a significant industry over the last 30 years
  • China boasts more than a half billion bicycles
  • In America, people use their bikes for one out of every hundred trips
  • There are twice as many bicycles in the world than cars
  • The first bicycles were created in France, but its modern design was born in England.
  • 5% of all trips in the United Kingdom is made by bicycle. In the United States this number is lower than 1%, but the Netherlands has a staggering 30%.
  • There are over 1 billion bicycles currently being used all around the world.
  • Bicycles save over 238 million gallons of gas every year.
  • The world bicycle is created from the French word “bicyclette”. Before this name, bicycles were known as velocipedes.
  • 1 year maintenance cost for bicycles is over times 20 cheaper than for a single car.
  • One car parking space can hold between 6 and 20 parked bicycles.
  • First cyclist that drove his bicycle around the world was Fred A. Birchmore. He pedaled for 25,000 miles and traveled the other 15,000 miles by boat. He wore out 7 sets of tires.
  • 10% of New York City’s workforce commutes daily on bicycles.
  • At St. Helen’s School in Newbury, OH, unicycling is a mandatory subject.
  • Believe it or not, paved roads were built for bicycles, not cars. While automobiles were able to go across cobblestones, bikes could not.

Sources:

Days of the Year

Bill Bone Bike Law

Bicycle History

National Geographic

MW Polar