Meet Silas Siegrist, sometimes referred to as “The Tall Bike Guy”. A senior at Colorado State University and a member of “High Society” Silas enjoys riding around town atop his 10 foot tall bike and watching the reaction of people as he rides by.

Silas says the most common question he gets when he’s out with the bike is, “How the hell do you get on that thing?”

His reply is that getting on the bike is a lot like mounting a horse, I run along side the bike, put the right foot on the lower bar, left foot on the pedal, and swing the right leg over and he makes it look so easy.

It seems easy enough, and it usually is for Siegrist, but don’t be fooled. Even a pro like Siegrist can struggle at times, not just with getting on but also with staying on and getting off.

Many of the tall bikes in the Fort Collins area were designed and built by 2 CSU mechanical engineering students Taylor Nixon and Steven Vogel the first of which was built in 2005.

Steven Vogel built Siegrist’s bike in 2007. Steven gave the bike to Silas in March of that year after Siegrist asked if he could ride it for the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Fort Collins.

Since then Siegrist has ridden the tall bike in many parades including the Eaton Frontier Days Parade and, of course, the Tour De Fat, the zany costume and bike festival hosted by New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins.

“People just love it,” he said. “In parades it’s a huge hit and puts a big smile on everyone’s face.”

During the summer months you never know where you might see Silas and his tall bike but you can be sure he’ll have a smile on his face.