On Oct. 15, as hundreds gaped from below and thousands watched on their television screens, Nik Wallenda rode a bicycle at a slow and deliberate pace along a wire 135 feet off the ground and 1,235 feet across to get his name in the Guinness Book of World Records.

The death-defying stunt was telecast on NBC's "Today Show," and while some could not bear to watch, it was all just a day at the office for the 29-year-old daredevil, who represents the seventh generation of the famous "Flying Wallendas."

Tomorrow, Wallenda will be performing here as part of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus' four-day Bellobration at the Mellon Arena.

He'll be doing the double wheel of steel with fellow Ringling performer Bello Nock, the guy on the posters with the orange high-top.

"It's basically a humongous hamster wheel 40-feet in the air," Wallenda explained.

He came up with the idea while dining at a New York restaurant after watching his friend, illusionist David Blaine, tape a TV special.

Wallenda drew his concept on the tablecloth.

Traditionally, the act is done with one wheel. But in this version, the wheel is cut down the middle and splits while he and Bello are on it.

"I was just tired of seeing the same things over and over again," he said. "I'm about doing new things and capturing new audiences."

But for some things, he sticks to the old ways.

In true Wallenda tradition, he undertook the record-breaking bike ride without a net.

"My grandfather always taught me [a net] is a false sense of security," he explained. "People don't realize that it's dangerous even having a net." He explained that his grandfather had a cousin who fell into a net, bounced out and was killed. "You become very complacent when you have a net."

The Wallendas, who were brought to the United States from Europe by Ringling Brothers in 1928, became legendary for their high-wire performances sans a net. The family, led by patriarch Karl Wallenda, endured a number of deaths over the years carrying out their stunts.

In 1962, Karl Wallenda's son-in-law and nephew were killed when their famous seven-person pyramid collapsed during a show in Detroit. Karl's son was paralyzed.

Despite the tragedy, the pyramid was performed again the following year and in 1977.

In 1978, 73-year-old Karl Wallenda was killed when he fell from the wire during a walk in Puerto Rico.

Nik Wallenda began walking the wire at age 4 and took his first professional walk in front of an audience at 13.

"My parents actually told me to go to college and then you have options," he said.

But he feels he's to the mantle born.

"Just like any entertainer will tell you, once it's in your blood it's in your blood," he explained. "You can't get it out. I love what I do, and I would do it for free if I didn't have bills."

While there are a handful of Wallendas who still perform, Nik feels he's the one who's inherited his great-grandfather Karl's vision for developing stunts.

In 2001, he was part of an eight-person pyramid in Japan.

He's working on his own TV series that would have him do two specials a year for five years of "things that have never been done before by a human."

Still, Wallenda, a husband (his wife, Erendira, also performs with the circus) and father of three, said he has a healthy respect for and fear of the heights at which he performs. "This is still dangerous. It's not like I have a death wish in any way," he said. "I plan on living and dying a natural death when I'm old."

But that doesn't stop him from pushing the envelope.

"My whole thing is I don't want to just break records. I want to set myself apart from any record that's been done before," he said.

Toward that end he'll soon be leaving the circus to prepare for a walk across the Grand Canyon next spring.

While the Wallenda name is well-known among a certain generation, younger people are more familiar with folks like David Blaine and Criss Angel.

"David Blaine is a great friend of mine, and I think he's a great guy and he's got vision, too," Wallenda said. "He's done a lot to attract audiences and make it cool."

Wallenda wants to put his own stamp on things and make his family name known among a new generation.

"Am I looking for fame? No. I'm looking to carry on the family tradition," he said. "And I know that my great-grandfather would do the same thing."

First Published: October 29, 2008, 8:00 a.m.