--- title: Bizarre, Virtually Unrideable Bikes Built by Chicagoans in the 1940s description: Photos from six decades ago that belie the famous old saying (which we just made up) that there's no such thing as a useless bicycle. canonical: https://time.com/3654205/hell-on-wheels-life-with-mutant-bicycles/ author: Ben Cosgrove article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2013-05-16T20:23:16.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:06:25.422Z og:title: Bizarre, Virtually Unrideable Bikes Built by Chicagoans in the 1940s og:description: Photos from six decades ago that belie the famous old saying (which we just made up) that there's no such thing as a useless bicycle. og:url: https://time.com/3654205/hell-on-wheels-life-with-mutant-bicycles/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte75b9089cb63b4da/69877821f887dc63d5e89545/150105-wacky-bicycles-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: Bicycle, Chicago, 1948 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Bizarre, Virtually Unrideable Bikes Built by Chicagoans in the 1940s twitter:description: Photos from six decades ago that belie the famous old saying (which we just made up) that there's no such thing as a useless bicycle. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte75b9089cb63b4da/69877821f887dc63d5e89545/150105-wacky-bicycles-01.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Hell on Wheels: LIFE With Mutant Bicycles by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove May 16, 2013 8:23 PM UTC  Caption from LIFE. Four-man bicycle is powered by five chains and has brakes on both its wheels. The bike was built by Art Rothschild (top position) who broke three ribs while learning how to ride it. Caption from LIFE. Four-man bicycle is powered by five chains and has brakes on both its wheels. The bike was built by Art Rothschild (top position) who broke three ribs while learning how to ride it.Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images by [Ben Cosgrove](https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/) ## Ben Cosgrove May 16, 2013 8:23 PM UTC Every year, more and more people in the United States are clambering aboard their beloved bicycles and blithely pedaling into a brighter, cleaner, healthier tomorrow. Or losing their balance, wiping out and maiming themselves. Either way, they’re getting exercise. But back in 1948, a number of inspired amateur craftsmen — not content with riding mundane, conventional bicycles — took their enthusiasm to another, unlikely level and . . . well, let’s let LIFE tell it, in the words the magazine used in its December 27, 1948, issue: --- > “” --- --- > “” --- Here, LIFE.com offers a selection of photos of these preposterous creations from six long decades ago — mechanistic marvels that belie the famous old saying (which we just made up) that there’s no such thing as a useless bicycle. Liz Ronk, who edited this gallery, is the Photo Editor for LIFE.com. Follow her on Twitter at [@LizabethRonk](https://twitter.com/LizabethRonk).  Caption from LIFE. Four-man bicycle is powered by five chains and has brakes on both its wheels. The bike was built by Art Rothschild (top position) who broke three ribs while learning how to ride it. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Only springs connect rear of Maurice Steinlauf's bike with roving front wheel. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Uno-Wheel, if braked suddenly, has been known to spin its rider round and round inside the big main wheel. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Square-wheeled bike held by Bernard Steinlauf was built by son Dave after seeing a bicycle wreck. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Gangbusters Bike mounts 13 shotguns, two revolvers, six bayonets, flare gun. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Riding a preposterous bicycle, Chicago, 1948. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Men on bike, Chicago, 1948. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Chicago, 1948. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Unicycle, Chicago, 1948. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Ice Bike, with protective mittens on handles, is Joe Steinlauf's own solution to Chicago's icy winter streets. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Chicago bicycle dealer Andy Koslow rides a tiny bike built by a former vaudevillian. "This helps limber up his left leg," LIFE wrote, "which, as a former motorcycle racer, he broke seven times." Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Rough ride, Chicago, 1948. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Bicycle, Chicago, 1948. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Caption from LIFE. Bedstead Bike was dreamed up by Joe Steinlauf, who got the idea while lying around in bed one morning. George Skadding—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images  Ice bike ridden by its inventor, Joe Steinlauf, Chicago. Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3654205/hell-on-wheels-life-with-mutant-bicycles/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3654205/hell-on-wheels-life-with-mutant-bicycles/"},"headline":"Hell on Wheels: LIFE With Mutant Bicycles","datePublished":"2013-05-16T20:23:16.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:06:25.422Z","description":"LIFE.com offers a selection of photos from six long decades ago that belie the famous old saying (which we just made up) that there's no such thing as a useless bicycle.","url":"https://time.com/3654205/hell-on-wheels-life-with-mutant-bicycles/","keywords":["curiosities","photography","LIFE Magazine"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte75b9089cb63b4da/69877821f887dc63d5e89545/150105-wacky-bicycles-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Ben Cosgrove","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/ben-cosgrove/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte75b9089cb63b4da/69877821f887dc63d5e89545/150105-wacky-bicycles-01.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"Bicycle, Chicago, 1948","caption":"Eccentric four-man bicycle built by Art Rothchild (top position).","creditText":"Wallace Kirkland—The LIFE Picture Collection/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/curiosities/","name":"curiosities"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3654205/hell-on-wheels-life-with-mutant-bicycles/","name":"Hell on Wheels: LIFE With Mutant Bicycles"}}]}] ```