I walk around the perimeter of Brookhaven College on a sidewalk close to the street. There is a retaining wall which rises from about one foot high to six feet high. It is made of concrete blocks that are about eight inches wide. Every time I encounter this wall, I walk on the top of it. Puts a little jazz in my step if I have to balance on top of a wall while walking. There is not much risk because on one side of the wall is solid ground. As I reach the top of the wall, I catch a flash of yellow out of the corner of my eye. When I gaze up at the hill to my left, there is a helmeted man in a neon yellow shirt and black pants riding a unicycle not on a path but ON THE GRASS! I run and try to get his photo, but he is too fast for me. Later in my walk, I see him again. That is the photo you see above. I have never ridden a unicycle but would like to try it at least once. Let’s find out more about it.
A unicycle is a vehicle that touches the ground with only one wheel. The most common variation has a frame with a saddle and has a pedal-driven direct drive. A two-speed hub is commercially available for faster unicycling. Unicycling is practiced professionally in circuses, by street performers, in festivals and as a hobby. Unicycles have also been used to create new sports such as unicycle hockey. In recent years, unicycles have also been used in mountain unicycling, an activity similar to mountain biking or trials.
History
U.S. patents for single-wheeled ”velocipedes” were published in 1869 by Frederick Myers and in 1881 by Battista Scuri.
Unicycle design has developed since the penny farthing — a two-wheeled vehicle with a large front wheel and small rear wheel — and later the advent of the first unicycle into many variations including: the seatless unicycle ("ultimate wheel") and the tall ("giraffe") unicycle. During the late 1980s some extreme sportsmen took an interest in the unicycle and modified unicycles to enable them to engage in off-road or mountain unicycling, trials unicycling and street unicycling.
Unicycles compared to other pedal-powered vehicles
Bicycles, tricycles and quadracycles share — with minor variations — several basic parts including wheels, pedals, cranks, forks and the saddle with unicycles. Without a rider, unicycles lack stability. However, a proficient unicyclist is usually more stable than a similarly proficient rider on a bicycle, as the wheel is not constrained by the linear axis of a frame. Unicycles usually — but not always — lack brakes, gears and the ability to freewheel.
Construction
Unicycles have a few key parts:
- The wheel — which includes the tire, tube, rim, spokes, hub and axle.
- The cranks — which attach the pedals to the wheel hub.
- The hub — connects the spokes to a central point and also transfers pedaling power to the wheel.
- Pedals.
- Fork-style frame.
- Seatpost.
- Saddle or the seat of the unicycle.
The wheel is usually similar to a bicycle wheel with a special hub designed so the axle is a fixed part of the hub. This means the rotation of the cranks directly controls the rotation of the wheel — called direct drive. The frame sits on top of the axle bearings, while the cranks attach to the ends of the axle, and the seatpost slides into the frame to allow the saddle to be height-adjusted.
Freestyle unicycles
Generally used for flatland skills and freestyle routines, freestyle unicycles typically have a relatively high seatpost, a narrow saddle and a squared fork, used for one-footed tricks. These unicycles are used similarly to flatland bicycles. Wheel size is usually 20 inches, but smaller riders may use 16-or-12-inch unicycles. Some people prefer 24-inch wheels.
Trial unicycles
Designed for unicycle trials, these unicycles are stronger than standard unicycles in order to withstand the stresses caused by jumping, dropping and supporting the weight of the unicycle and rider on components such as the pedals and cranks. Many trials unicycles also have wide, 19- or 20-inch knobby tires to absorb some of the impact on drops.
Most trials unicycles come with 19" rear rims as used on 20" trials bicycles. This allows for larger tires to be fitted which can help provide bounce and preload for jumping, and aid stability being generally quite wide — some up to 2.5 inches. A smaller wheel also means the unicycle is lighter, although some riders prefer larger wheels. The tire is generally wide and thick, giving a large air volume. This is to cushion drops and allow large hops and jumps. The tire will often have a deep tread to allow greater grip to obstacles. Strong high-tension spokes and a strong rim wheel rim is used to prevent the wheel from deforming under the great stresses exerted on it by jumping. Unicycle wheels have to withstand large lateral stresses because, unlike in conventional riding, the rider may jump sideways. Many trials unicycles have a splined hub and cranks, as this design tends to be more resistant to bending and breaking than the more common cotterless or square taper equivalent. Long cranks give the rider extra torque and pedals with a large amount of grip — often with pins or teeth — are used to prevent the rider's feet from slipping. Unicycles with shorter cranks are generally referred to as street unicycles, as they let the rider keep up their momentum easier and do smooth tricks. Whereas trials unicycles usually have longer cranks that are better for hopping, as the rider has better control of the rotation of the wheel, and can therefore keep the unicycle from slipping out from under him.
Mountain unicycles or munis
Mountain unicycling — abbreviated to muni — consists of riding specialized unicycles on mountain bike trails or otherwise off-roading. Mountain unicycles have thicker, wider tires for better traction. Riders may occasionally lower air pressure for increased shock absorption. Many riders choose to use long cranks to increase power when riding up hills and over rough terrain. A disk brake is sometimes used for descents; the brake handle is attached to the underside of the handle on the front of the saddle.
Touring/commuter unicycles
These unicycles are specially made to cover long distances. They have a large wheel diameter — between 26 and 36 inches — so more distance is covered in less pedal rotation. A 36" unicycle made by the Coker Tire company started the big wheel trend. Some variations on the traditional touring unicycle include the Schlumpf "GUni" or geared unicycle, which uses a two-speed internal fixed-geared hub. Larger direct-drive wheels tend to have shorter cranks to allow for easier cadence and more speed. Geared wheels — with an effective diameter larger than the wheel itself — tend to use longer cranks to increase torque as they are not required to achieve such high cadences as direct-drive wheels but demand greater force per pedal stroke. A 36" commuter unicycle was used by Bob Mueller to complete a cross-country unicycle trek from Cape Elizabeth, Maine to Westport, Washington on August 8, 2011.
Giraffe unicycles
A giraffe unicycle is a chain-driven unicycle. Use of a chain or multiple wheels in a gear-like configuration can make the unicycle much taller than standard unicycles. Note: Multi-wheel unicycles can be described as giraffes. Standard unicycles don't have a chain, which limits the seat height based on how long the rider's legs are, because there the crank is attached directly to the wheel axle. Giraffe unicycles can range in heights from 3 feet to over 10 feet high.
Multi-wheeled unicycles
A multi-wheeled unicycle is a unicycle with more than one wheel, stacked on top of each other so that only one wheel touches the ground — nicknamed stacks. The wheels are linked together by chains or direct contact with each other. These unicycles can also be called giraffes.
Kangaroo unicycles
A kangaroo unicycle is a unicycle that has both the cranks facing in the same direction. They are so named due to the hopping motion of the rider's legs, supposedly resembling the jumping of a kangaroo.
Eccentric unicycles
An eccentric unicycle is a unicycle that has the hub off-center in the wheel. Putting an eccentric wheel on a kangaroo unicycle can make riding easier, and the rider's motion appear more kangaroo-like.
Ultimate wheel unicycles
An ultimate wheel unicycle is a unicycle with no frame or seat, just a wheel and pedals.
Impossible wheel unicycles
Impossible wheel or BC wheel, a wheel with pegs or metal plates connected to the axle for the rider to stand on. These wheels are for coasting and jumping. A purist form of unicycle, without cranks.
Unicycle hockey
Unicycle hockey is a team sport, similar to rink hockey where players try to hit the ball with their sticks into the other team's goal, except that each player must be mounted on a unicycle to play the ball. A team is composed of five players plus substitutes, but there is no dedicated goalkeeper role, although one player usually stays back in that position.
The governing body for unicycle hockey is the International Unicycling Federation which publishes the rules for all unicycle sports. The most recent set of rules for unicycle hockey was published in 2015.
The court used is between 35 and 45 meters in length, and 20 to 25 meters wide. It should have either beveled or rounded corners and barriers on all sides. The goals are also set back from the end walls so that players can go behind them, similarly to ice hockey.
Any stick which is legal for ice hockey — other than that of a goalkeeper — can be used. The unicycles can have a maximum wheel diameter of 24 inches and a tennis ball is used.
The first known instance of hockey on unicycles is a short segment in the 1925 film “Variety,” which shows two performers on a stage, one using a field hockey stick to push a ball around.
In 1960, unicycle hockey was mentioned as one of the activities of the Albuquerque Unicycle Club, founded in 1957, and then the only known unicycle club in the United States. In 1971, the game was being played in Japan.
In 1976, a unicycle hockey club called “Wheel People” was founded in California and ran for about ten years. In 1985, LaHiMo became the first German unicycle hockey club, based in Langenfeld. The first British unicycle hockey team of the modern era was formed by the apprentices of David Mariner, a manufacturer of DM Unicycles, by the company DM Engineering, in Wimborne, Dorset, UK The formation of LUNIS — a north London based team in 1987 — meant that competitive unicycle hockey matches could be played in the UK, with a national competition in 1988 at Covent Garden in London, won by LUNIS. In 1990, Jens Stemminger founded the Uniwheelers in Bremen. Radlos was the third German club, in Frankfurt from 1991, and others soon followed, leading to the foundation of the German league, still the world's largest.
In the early 1990s, the sport was introduced to Switzerland by Jojo Mühlmeyer, a Lahimo/Radlos pioneer.
The first European championship was held at the European Juggling Convention in Birmingham in the United Kingdom, in September 1993.
The following year, the first unicycle hockey world championships took place at Unicon VII in Minneapolis, in the United States, won by Germany. Every Unicon since has included a hockey championship. The current world champions, from Unicon XIX in Ansan, Korea, are the Swiss team.
There are three national unicycle hockey leagues: Australia with eight teams in 2016; Germany with 89 teams; Switzerland with approximately 20 teams.
In addition to these leagues, there are clubs and teams in other countries, including United Kingdom, France, Denmark, Sweden, Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan and Korea.
International competition in the sport takes place at the biennial Unicon world championships and regional tournaments including Eurocycle and Asia-Pacific Unicycle Competition.
Unicycle trials
Unicycle trials is a form of unicycling which involves participants attempting to ride a unicycle over obstacles without any part of the rider touching the ground. The obstacles traversed can be set up specifically for the purpose of unicycle trials, but are often walls, railings, ledges and other "street furniture" found in an urban environment. The sport is derived from — or at least inspired by — bike trials and motorcycle trials.
Obstacles are traversed using various moves. Hopping is achieved by suddenly forcing the unicycle pedals downwards while holding the seat, the reactive forces resulting from the compression of the tire lift the unicycle into the air. Jumping is a similar to hopping, except that the unicycle seat is held in front of the rider to allow greater height to be achieved. Pedal grabs and crank grabs involve a hop or jump to land the unicycle’s pedal or crank on the edge of an object, and then a second hop or jump to land the unicycle fully on the object.
Although unicycle trials can be performed on a standard unicycle, many are not designed for the forces which are caused by unicycle trials. A trials unicycle is built with unicycle trials in mind and is therefore designed to better cope with these stresses.
Ride the Lobster unicycle race
Ride the Lobster was the world's longest unicycle race, held in June 2008. This 800-kilometer international relay race around the roads of Nova Scotia, Canada was conceived by Edward Wedler. He gave the race its unusual name because he thought the roadways around Nova Scotia resembled a lobster.
The five-day race had five stages, composed of four legs winding around the province of approximately 200 km each and one day of time trials. The first stage was from Yarmouth to Annapolis Royal. The second stage went to St. Margarets. The third stage was composed of two time trials, Hubbards in the morning and Truro in the early evening. The fourth stage was from Truro to Antigonish. The final stage went from Port Hawkesbury to Baddeck. The event coordinator, Heather LeBlanc, intentionally made early stages easier for the contestants and the final stretch difficult.
Each team was composed of four people — three riders and one in support. The support person was not allowed to ride. The three riders took turns completing the distance of the race. The rider was not to be switched over the first 10 kilometers of each race day. After that, the team had full discretion as to how often they wanted to switch riders.
The race began on June 16 with 104 riders — 124 had qualified — in 35 teams from fourteen countries.
The race concluded in Cape Breton with contestants reaching the finish line between 5–7 pm on June 20. The winning team was awarded $5,000 in cash and prizes.
The pre-race hypothesis that geared unicycles would offer a significant advantage over non-gunis was seemingly born out, as the winning team rode gunis.
All riders completed the 21 km time trial.
It was originally proposed to hold the race annually but there have been no subsequent events.
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