Benny Zenga, a self-described ‘cinemacyclist’ from Vancouver, Canada, designed the Infinity Cycle 10 years ago – a bike built so two riders can switch positions mid-ride, allowing them to keep moving without stopping. Now, his family has set off on an updated four-person version, touring around Vancouver to promote their Be a Fool Kickstarter campaign. Let’s have a closer look at the two-person design and how it all started.
The Zenga Bros are a family who have spent more than two decades experimenting with unconventional bike designs, particularly tall bikes, and even filmed a short documentary with Red Bull titled ‘Tall Bikes Will Save The World’ . Benny Zenga’s adventures began with hand-me-down bikes, and nowadays, cameras and bikes define how he moves through the world.
“Tall bikes are something my brothers and I discovered through trial-and-error making art bikes,” says Benny.
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“They were always really fun and seemed to stick around, so we naturally didn’t stop creating tall bikes – and then at some point, the ridiculous nature of it became ridiculously practical. Almost twenty years later, it’s become the only bike I want to take to the grocery store or travel across the world on.”
Over time, their tall bikes became moving workshops, allowing them to carry all the supplies needed. “You’ll see a bike give birth to another bike and skateboard ramps built in unexpected places,” says Zenga.
This passion for reworking and reimagining bicycles eventually led to the creation of the Infinity Cycle around a decade ago – a design that allows two riders to share the workload and keep moving without stopping.
Benny explains the motivation behind the idea: “The only real problem with bicycle travel – tall or otherwise – is that it’s human-powered and humans get tired… Since e-bikes don’t exist in our world, we had to get creative.”
Unlike a traditional tandem, which also lets two riders share the workload, the Infinity Cycle stacks riders on top of one another – essentially a double-decker bike – with space to store supplies, and carry whatever else is needed. The idea is that when the rider on the bottom gets tired, they move to the top, and the rider on top moves to the bottom, creating a continuous cycle that keeps the bike moving forever.
The Infinity Cycle comes packed with practical and quirky features. It’s equipped with three large front lights, plenty of front and rear reflectors, mirrors, and bottle cages. A ladder at the rear allows riders to climb to the top bike, while panniers and boxes provide plenty of storage. A large undercarriage adds more space to carry supplies.
In true Zenga Bros style, an assortment of spoons dangle from the frame at the rear, adding a playful touch to the touring setup.
Benny, his wife, plus their twin sons Oly and Ike have just started an adventure on the latest version of the Infinity Cycle, mounting four people, as they go on an open-ended tour in Vancouver to raise awareness for the Be a Fool book.
“With two riders, the Infinity Cycle could ride forever – now, with four, it will be able to go even further”, says Zenga.
Benny and his brother Willy Zenga have documented their adventures in the book, which they are currently funding through a Kickstarter campaign. The project is over 60% funded at the time of writing, and aims to inspire readers to tap into their creative potential by sharing 25 years of unconventional projects and adventures.
4 thoughts on “Behold the Infinity Cycle, the world’s first double-decker touring bike”
51% genius, 49% insanity
Hipsters gotta hipster.
Love it. The bike world needs more influence from people like this.
Looks like that the sweat from the person on top is going to drip onto the person underneath…