BOBs Big Ole Bikes (two 16-foot bicycles, Mill Mountain)

Roanoke, Virginia, United States

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Listed, not yet checked · Oct 2026

This Big Thing is recorded as still being here.

Big Ol' Bikes are two bicycle sculptures by Ferrum College art professor Jake Smith, installed at the Mill Mountain Park entrance in Roanoke, Virginia, in April 2019: a mountain bike and a road bike. Roanoke Parks and Recreation's trail page, published April 2026, lists parking at the statues.

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BOBs Big Ole Bikes (two 16-foot bicycles, Mill Mountain)

This pin marks the Big Thing itself. If stopping, choose a safe and legal place nearby.

Site-level location · 37.2658° N, 79.9280° W

FIELD GUIDE

The story

Two oversized bicycles were installed at the turn up to Mill Mountain Park in Roanoke in 2019, a nod to the city's trail riders and to road cyclists heading for the Blue Ridge Parkway.

The Roanoke Star reported that Roanoke Parks and Recreation manager Patrick Boas got the idea from an Outside magazine advertisement. He worked with local artists on an estimate, found sponsors, and teamed up with artist Jacob Smith, then an assistant professor of art at Ferrum College. They designed two bikes: a mountain bike for trail enthusiasts and a road bike for those riding towards the Parkway.

Ferrum College reports that Smith began construction in May 2018 and worked on the project for nearly a year. Smith told Ferrum College that the fibreglass-coated tyres took longer than welding the structure. The bikes were fixed at the site on 9 April 2019, and the city held a ribbon cutting on 22 April.

Roanoke Outside's 2019 article asked visitors to stay off the bikes, which are not made for weight or riding.

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PRACTICAL

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WHAT TO EXPECT

Two bicycle sculptures were installed beside the park entrance in 2019, one a mountain bike and one a road bike. A 2019 Roanoke Outside article asked visitors to stay off them, as they are not made for weight or riding. Roanoke Parks and Recreation's Mill Mountain trails page (April 2026) lists parking "at Big Ol' Bikes Statues".

ACCESS

Installed in 2019 at the entrance to Mill Mountain Park, where Mill Mountain Spur Road turns up from J.B. Fishburn Parkway in Roanoke. Roanoke Outside's 2019 article asked visitors to stay off the sculptures. Roanoke Parks and Recreation's Mill Mountain trails page (April 2026) uses the statues as a parking landmark.

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