When a stock 29er is not going to cut it

The world's tallest man, Leonid Stadnyk, just got a new bike. The 8'5" Ukrainian has been reluctant to have those creepy Guinness people come around with their measuring tape and their beer, but now he's finally given in.




Stadnyk's story is sort of sad -- he's been poor as a church mouse and unable to find shoes to fit his 17-inch long feet. He had a bike previously, but his 400-pound frame apparently turned the thing into spare parts.

It's hard to know what his new ride is -- just about anything is going to look like a kids bike with 100mm cranks with him in the saddle -- but it's highly customized with apehangers and beefy tires. Judging by the sensible rear rack and mixte design, we're guessing a Rivendell Bombadil + Glorious mashup? Certainly not a Giant. (Gah!)

Interesting to compare Stadnyk with the biggest man in the pro peloton. Thor Hushovd is two and half feet shorter, and 230 pounds lighter,and unless he lives in a hyperbaric dollhouse, he can't change his lightbulbs sitting down.