Giraffe Discussion Thread

jamessd wrote:
Well I have had a nimbus three wheeler for 7 months now, and I have
still yet to find time to ride it! (I also need to find some guts...
cos when I get up there I just lose faith and climb back down the
ladder!).


That costs alot of money, you should put aside some time to ride if you
can. Im getting one next week hopefully. And cant you just get up onto
the 3 wheeler like you would get up onto a normal girrafe (assisted)
where you put the seat between your legs and climb up a pole ontill
your on it?


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I rode a giraffe for the first time about a month ago and have a
question: should it feel like the tire is right under you like a
freestyle uni?

The reason I ask is that the giraffe I rode kept feeling like the tire
wanted to roll too far forward, so I had to practically sit on the
front of the seat to keep it under me. Also, I noticed on several of
our club giraffes that the frame is bent somewhat toward the sprocket
side (usually the right side). This all seemed strange to me but, as I
say, I'm new to riding giraffes. The club giraffes take quite a lot of
abuse so maybe that's all it is?

BTW: In a gym with 50-70 riders one must have rules or a lot of people
get hurt. I know a lot of people don't like rules but our club director
(http://pput.org/) insists for safety sake that before any rider can
take on the giraffe they must be able to:



- Idle 25 times with their right foot
- Idle 25 times with their left foot
- Ride backwards 30 meters, stop, and come forward 30 meters
- Hop in place 10 times




At that point he has a series of skills he walks the rider through on
the giraffe (turning, dissmounting, figure 8, etc). If the rider
completes these skills successfully they are then considered a giraffe
rider and can ride the giraffe in parades and other club events.

We also have a 3-stack and a 5-stack, plus a 10' giraffe!


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blueharmony

_________
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-unicycle for polytheism-
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I'm not sure that I'd ride much taller than a 10' giraffe.

I have a nimbus performer (dual chan, modular) with extensions to run
it up to a nine footer when I feel like it, which is not too often.
Normally it's in 7-7.5' mode for now since that's the range I can
freemount after a few tries.

Three wheelers are incredible as well. They're awesome props and wheel
walking one is just something else. So fun. People really get a kick
out of them as well.

also blueharmony, I'd definitely agree with that club rule about
giraffes. It's possible to ride without knowing that stuff but makes it
far more dangerous/annoying when you can't idle or control yourself.


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Ok, I have the 5ft Nimbus Giraffe, I'm very happy with it, very
comfortable riding it, I can running mount it. I worked the Isle of
Wight festival on it, so I now know it handles on grass quite well. I'm
in this highlights clip, before the sugarbabes.

http://www.itvlocal.com/meridian/loc.../?&void=202312

I also have a pair of 2 wheel extensions, so I can have a 2 or 3
wheeled unicycle. The 3 wheeler is cool, but I have not been on it
since april though. It's cool to be sat on a unicycle and to be eye
level with the passengers on top deck of a double decker bus.

The 2 wheeler, I have been spending some time on recently, I can ride
forward a decent distance now, I have turning nailed, and I can running
mount it. I am learning to idle on it, then backwards will follow.

F.


--
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So I'm not the only one!


Bondo wrote:
My 6' Schwinn giraffe has been with me all over the world.

Mine has been to Canada, Hong Kong, Japan, Indonesia and Singapore.

Mine has also been pictured in newspapers and been in at least one TV
commercial.

I *do not* have the serial # memorized, but I know Schwinn's model
number for their Giraffes, U-72.


Bondo wrote:
I need to fix it up again...It's been refurbished over and over again. I
have worn through probably 6 tires, three chains and 2 seats. It has a
bit of a curve to it now.

If you take it to a bike frame expert, he can probably do something
about the curve without putting your frame at risk. If you have access
to a custom chrome plating company, I recommend getting chrome on the
following parts:
- Seat post
- Seat clamp
- Cranks
- Bottom bracket parts (the ones you can see)
- Sprockets
- Chain tighteners
- Axle nuts & washers

Then add a chrome chain if you can find one (you might need two). I had
that done to mine many years ago, and it has always stood out from the
crowd since.

I heart my giraffe too. It was the first unicycle I ever owned (I
learned on borrowed ones). I'll never part with it. I even have a
"spare," another Schwinn Giraffe my wife bought me, to use if any parts
of my original break or die.

I still have one remaining, unused Schwinn whitewall tire. But the one
I have wears very slowly, for two reasons. First because it doesn't get
used much any more, and second because I have a one-tooth difference
between the top and bottom sprockets. If you don't have that setup,
contact Tommy Miller (The Unicycle Factory) and see if he has any more
of those. It makes your tire wear evenly all around! (765) 452-2692.


--
johnfoss

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kevinalexandersmith wrote:
The Schwinn Giraffes are really Semcycle now, I think. I don’t
think Schwinn has rolled out a giraffe since they got back into
unicycles.

Schwinn halted unicycle production from 1983 to 1986. They came back
with many redesigns on their regular unicycles (including what we now
call the Viscount seat), but the Giraffe never came back. Liability,
probably. But they were the most solid giraffes you could buy back then
without having to go custom, and professional performers are still using
them all over the world.

Semcycle bought the tooling for the old Schwinn seats (the pre-Viscount
ones), so those are now Semcycle (with improvements). But the Semcycle
giraffes are totally separate from the Schwinns. I know less about
them, but they seem very sturdy and are much better than cheaper ones
for professional use.


kevinalexandersmith wrote:
I heart three piece cantilever frames!

Eww. Why? For nostalgia and tire-changing I can understand. Schwinn's
chrome plating, on those frames, was nearly indestructable. But for
function, riding, strength and seat-height adjustability they really
kinda suck.


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blueharmony wrote:
I rode a giraffe for the first time about a month ago and have a
question: should it feel like the tire is right under you like a
freestyle uni?

Short answer:

No because it isn't. The main difference in riding a giraffe, other
than psychological (of which I'm sure any 48-year-old is already well
aware), is that the wheel is no longer between your feet. Now it's
"down there," moving back and forth in a way that's very different from
a non-chain unicycle.

If I had to guess, I'd say you weren't sitting up straight. If you bend
forward, you're going to have to bring the wheel forward to even things
out. This of course makes for an awkward riding position, and your butt
sticks out and it doesn't look that great either. Strive to sit up
straight. Generally, you want your frame and your spine to be parallel.
Also seat height is an important factor on a giraffe. If the seat was
too low it can lead to what you described, or other feelings of
insecurity up there.

Stick with it. Watch the kids. They learn faster because they don't
overthink things. If you try to think like them it can speed the
learning process!


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Unisykolist wrote:
That costs alot of money, you should put aside some time to ride if you
can. Im getting one next week hopefully. And cant you just get up onto
the 3 wheeler like you would get up onto a normal girrafe (assisted)
where you put the seat between your legs and climb up a pole ontill
your on it?


It's a bit different because the seat is about 2 foot higher on a three
wheeler! Another thing that stops me when I get up there is the fact
that I don't trust the tyre friction to hold me up, and if i pump the
tyre up harder then there is so much friction it just doesn't roll,
which again puts me off!!! agh!


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Kieron wrote:
I tell u wat they would have to be a very commited pedo to learn to ride
a unicycle in order to mingle with us, steel one of us and rape us in a
bush.
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hahaha, so frustrated! Trust the wheel(s). I'd be willing to give it a
try James!


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Scott,

Getting ready for the summer holidays!
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You can get by with imperfect friction on a multi-wheeler. You don't
want the tires so hard that it takes loads of effort to pedal, but you
should expect it to be a little bit of work for a properly-calibrated
multi-wheeler to ride safely.

That said, if the wheels occasionally slip a bit when you pedal or hit
the brakes, as long as it's only a bit, it should remain quite
rideable. You just have to get used to the idea, and make sure it's not
slipping too much.


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John Foss
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