Frenchman José Meiffret rode this beast over 200 kph in 1962. The bike had a monstrous 130 tooth chain with a 15 tooth sprocket (225 gear inches)! The frame was reinforced and the rims were made of wood to resist overheating. All-in-all the beauty above weighed 45 lbs.

His record was accomplished riding behind a Mercedes with a fairing on the back (to reduce the wind resistance). Still, Meiffert had to maintain a cadence of 180 rpm to hit the kilo record.

You can read the full story about his record here. You also have to give him big style points – how cool is the jersey he wore (above).