Peter Gikiri stunned Nairobi residents when he appeared riding his one-of-a-kind bicycle from Nyeri.
Gitonga, a bicycle mechanic, revealed it took him 72 hours to cover the 150kilometere distance from Nyeri Town on a five-foot-tall bicycle he assembled himself.
Speaking to a YouTuber Presenter Ali on July 4, he revealed that his destination was Homeland area in Nairobi where he had a meeting at Iganjo FM where he is a fan.
According to Gikiri, he took five years to conceptualize the idea and two weeks to build the bicycle. He intimated that he invented the bicycle to debunk the myth that bicycle mechanics do not have any innovative skills.
He made the bicycle by combining two bicycles, putting one above the other. The seat and the handlebar are placed at the bicycle's top.
The middle-aged mechanic admitted that the bicycle required one to have a high sense of balance due to its height. The inventory himself, fell a couple of times before getting used to it.
When asked about speed, he mentioned that the bike could reach a top speed of 20kilometres per hour.
Gikiri intimated that he also build the iconic bicycle for purposes of advertising with hopes of selling.
This, however, is not his only invention as he has also produced unicycles, a wheelbarrow that runs on two tubeless bicycle tyres, bicycles made from bamboo and sports bikes.
The mechanic said that he has hired youth who ride the bicycles to market them. They participate in races in which they showcase the various bicycles.
He advised the youth to opt for bicycles as they are safer than motorcycles which have killed many of them. He also asked for the government to establish and clearly mark the cycling lanes on Kenyan roads.
After the meeting at Iganjo FM, Gikiri intends to ride back to Nyeri.
