Bicycle Heaven facts for kids
One of the prop bicycles used in Pee-wee's Big Adventure on display
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| Established | July 2, 2011 |
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| Location | Casey Industrial Park 1800 Preble Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15233 |
| Type | Transportation museum |
| Founder | Craig Morrow |
| Nearest parking | On site (no charge) |
Bicycle Heaven is an amazing place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It is the biggest transportation museum in the world that is all about bicycles! A man named Craig Morrow started this museum. He collected all these bicycles over many years.
The museum is not just a place to look at old bikes. It is also an active collection. This means they keep the bikes in good shape. The main display area is about 650 square meters. It holds over 3,500 bicycles. Plus, there are 27,000 more bikes stored away! They also have over 100,000 parts to fix and care for the collection.
Bicycle Heaven also works as a bike shop. Sometimes, movies, TV shows, and plays need special bikes. The museum helps them by providing bikes as props. After the filming is done, these bikes come back to the museum. Then, they become part of the amazing collection for everyone to see.
Contents
History of Bicycle Heaven
Bicycle Heaven first opened its doors in 2011. Since then, it has grown into a huge and popular museum. It shows off thousands of bicycles from different times.
Cool Bicycle Exhibits
Rare Bowden Spacelanders
Imagine a bicycle that looks like it came from outer space! A British designer named Benjamin Bowden created the "Spacelander" in 1946. It was made of fiberglass and looked very futuristic. These bikes went on sale in 1960 for about $89.50.
Only 522 Spacelander bicycles were ever made. By the 1990s, only a few dozen were thought to still exist. Craig Morrow, the museum's founder, managed to collect 17 of these rare bikes. They are some of the most unique and valuable bicycles at the museum. Each one is worth over $50,000 because they are so hard to find and are in great condition.
Pee-wee Herman's Famous Bicycle
One of the most special bikes at the museum is the one used in the movie Pee-wee's Big Adventure. This was Pee-wee Herman's bicycle, and it was a very important part of the film's story. It is a real treasure for movie fans and bike lovers alike.
Bicycles from Other Movies
Bicycle Heaven also has bikes that appeared in other popular films. You can see bicycles that were used in movies like A Beautiful Mind, Fences, and Super 8. It is fun to see how bikes are used in different stories on the big screen.
