Riding high on two wheels

When Chris Ratcliffe rides the streets of Nelson on his bicycle, cars tail him for a photo, and toots and stares follow his every pedal.

Ratcliffe’s tall bike, with its seat 1.6 metres off the ground, is eye-catching. But he says he doesn’t own it for the attention.

‘‘I saw it on Red Bull TV under the heading, ‘Tall bikes save lives’, and I thought, ‘I can make one of those’.’’ So he did.

Despite having further to fall, he said the tall bike was much safer than a regular bike due to its viewpoint.

‘‘You’re up a lot higher, you can see a lot more, your handlebars don’t hit the mirrors if you go past a car . . . everyone notices you.’’

He said that during two years of riding his bespoke bike, he had had only one near-miss, just a few days ago. ‘‘I managed to get off in time, and I didn’t fall.’’

Ratcliffe said there were other benefits to being higher in the saddle.

‘‘I think they’re just a lot cruisier to ride – you just feel relaxed on it. Being longer in the wheelbase, it just feels more stable.’’

Another advantage was ‘‘not getting a wet bum’’ when he went through puddles.

He said he built the tall bike from scratch using ‘‘whatever metal I’ve got lying around or whatever I can get for nothing’’, with one frame on top of another.

While his first one took eight weeks to build, he said a tall bike could easily be built in a day.

‘‘They don’t cost a lot to make, but you can’t put a price on what it’s worth,’’ he said. Which is why he has given other people tips and advice on how to construct one.

Once Ratcliffe mastered the art of putting one together, the next step was getting on it.

‘‘It’s just like riding a skateboard. Put your foot on the bottom bar and your hands on the handlebars. Scoot along like a skateboard, and once you’re balanced and going, which is easy, you just climb up on to the pedal and on to the saddle.’’

Ratcliffe’s two sons, aged 6 and 9, have followed in their father’s footsteps. They enjoying getting out in Quinney’s Bush on their customised tall bikes made from two stacked BMXs.

He said the rest of the family weren’t as adventurous. ‘‘They think I’m just an idiot.’’

The eight-speed tall bike joins Ratcliffe’s mountainbike in his collection, but he said he considered the mountainbike ‘‘boring’’ and ‘‘dangerous’’ now.

‘‘My goal is to make a fullsuspension [tall bike] to go up the mountainbike park on.’’

BRADEN FASTIER/STUFF Chris Ratcliffe rides his custom-made tall bike to work along Rocks Rd, Nelson. He says it is much safer than a regular bicycle because the rider is able to see a lot more and is more visible to drivers.