The paradox at the heart of unicycling.

S_Wallis wrote:
*I enjoy the challenge of unicycling.

The less my equipment works against me, the more pure my enjoyment of
the activity. *

Ditto.
I'll add that for me I'm also concerned about equipment "uptime."
Tire width aside, having a working unicycle is of fundamental
importance.


(Of course the counter-argument is that unicycles work against the rider
because they are unicycles, so it may be "smarter" to go with a fixy
bike instead.)


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I like unicycles cos they're fun to ride. They're fun to ride in
unexpected places. Off road, riding down steep slopes and over rocks and
bumps is fun, riding faster is more fun than riding slowly, being able
to at least try the whole of a trail is more fun than having to walk
bits because your tyre is too narrow or not suitable for the mud.
They're a really fun way to get to very remote places, and having a
range of 20 miles out and 20 miles back on a 26" wheel makes it easier
to get to remote places than with a much smaller range on a smaller and
narrower wheel that would mean a lot more walking.

I think unicycles are just inherently fun and it isn't just due to the
difficulty. A lot of offroad riding, I reckon is easier for an
experienced muni rider than for a similarly experienced bike rider,
we've got easier turning and are usually riding a lot slower, so have a
lot more thinking time before an obstacle. But I still like riding
unicycles offroad more than bikes.

I also use them as a practical (faster than walking, cheaper than a car,
less maintenance than a bike) mode of transport, so having one that goes
fast is cool. For my particular commute, it takes me 5 minutes less on a
bike, or 10 minutes less in a car, but overall both involve more hassle
than a unicycle.

I'm still not sure about the ethics of brakes though!

Joe


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joemarshall wrote:
*I like unicycles cos they're fun to ride. *

Yep my thoughts exactly. I stopped MTB’ing ‘cause it was boring me.

joemarshall wrote:
* I'm still not sure about the ethics of brakes though! *

I am for similar reasons to what you said about tyres.

joemarshall wrote:
*…being able to at least try the whole of a trail is more fun than
having to walk bits because your tyre is too narrow or not suitable
for the mud.*


BTW Joe how’s the knee?


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For me the appeal is doing something that demands total connection. I
moved from cars to motorcycles because I feel more connected to the
vehicle and the act of riding. (my skill with shifting manual
transmissions improved dramatically after I learned motorcycling because
I could more easily feel what the bike was doing and I felt more at one
with the machine.)

I love bicycles because that connection is more apparent. The vehicle
can sometimes feel as if it is an extension of my body, with my nervous
system extending into the vehicle, so that I can feel what it feels, and
make it do what I need it to do.

I really enjoy this synergy.

The unicycle takes this connection to a deeper level.


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Sounds to me like there is a Mikefule Hierarchy of Need he

First is the basic need to beat the challenge of survival on one
wheel.

Second is the need for safety and security in avoiding the UPDs.

Third is the need for adventure.

Fourth is the need for belonging in the uni community where there is no
such thing as too many.

Then, a need for well-balanced self actualization.


--
donna
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I see my own progression to better and better unicycles as a response to
my need for solid equipment. I haven't been on a muni very long but I
know that the kind of riding I've been doing would destroy beginner
munis. In the end, my splined hub will save me time and money on hubs
and maintenance. My 3" tire will save me money on tubes and rims.

All of these upgrades respond to the demands of trail riding.
Honestly, trail riding is not a natural progression for the unicyclist,
it is a trancendant advancement for the unicyclist.
Somehow, riding a torker across the grass at the local playground
just doesn't cut it.


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onewheeljoe wrote:
*Somehow, riding a torker across the grass at the local playground
just doesn't cut it. *


Well put.

I didn't post to argue for one or other point of view, but to see how
others might answer the question. I have a MUni with a Gazzaloddi tyre
and a metal handle, and I like what it can do. (I'm not using it much
at the moment because I have tendonitis in my wrist from too muich
fencing, which is why I've only written about the 700c recently.) I
have a Coker which I enjoy riding off road. Even on the 700c, the
fitting of a new tyre of higher quality has improved my riding
experience. The choice of a skinny tyre is just because I'm like
that.

All of my serious unis have decent quality pinned pedals, they all have
cranks optimised for the use to which I put them. I enjoy riding good
quality machines, and would upgrade again if I could afford it. I'm not
an out and out skinny tyre nut.

But it does seem to me that in certain action sports, including
unicycling, we choose to do something difficult, then buy the equipment
to make it easier. At the other extreme, there are people who ride
ultimate wheels off road.

I'm not being prescriptive. I'm just interested in the psychology.


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Mikefule wrote:
But it does seem to me that in certain action sports, including
unicycling, we choose to do something difficult, then buy the
equipment to make it easier. At the other extreme, there are people
who ride ultimate wheels off road.

I'm not being prescriptive. I'm just interested in the psychology.
[/b]


There are natural obstacles, and imposed ones. If you've got a really
tough climb or a really gnarly descent you're trying to clean, those are
natural obstacles. You want any advantage you can get until you can
overcome them, and the rush of doing it for the first time is part of
what makes the sport great.

Trying to do the same thing on a lesser unicycle is an imposed obstacle;
it would be harder to do the same descent on a skinny-tire unicycle, but
the sense of accomplishment at doing it would not be as great. You'd
think, at least to some extent, "why am I bothering with this? I
already cleaned it on my MUni."

I understand your point, which is that using a unicycle at all is
something of an imposed obstacle. But the difference between unicycle
and not-unicycle is meaningful in a way that the difference between
24x3" unicycle and 29x2" unicycle is not.


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tholub wrote:
* You'd think, at least to some extent, "why am I bothering with this?
I already cleaned it on my MUni."
*


I'm not sure I would. I get a big sense of achievement from succeeding
on the 700c where I used to struggle on the MUni or Coker. It's an
indicator of my improvement as a rider.

However, there are certain types of trail where there is little fun in
riding the 700c. Certain types of obstacle are just irritating, and I'd
prefer to have the Coker and blast over them.

I think I get more pleasure from thinking "Look what I can do" than I do
from thinking, "Look what this uni can do."

But the paradox is that I wouldn't dream of following this demon to the
extent of, say, riding a 16 inch wheel everywhere. I think we all find
our own optimal level of challenge. My own preferred ride is some
medium length fairly easy bits, linking a few sections that are really
tricky. I prefer tricky sections (a few hundred metres long) to tricky
obstacles.


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Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

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Further to what Mike said, This year I've found that there's less riding
that isn't possible on a 29er for me now. At BUC, I only had a coker
with me, so I borrowed a 29er for the muni ride, which really opened my
eyes to how great it is to ride technical muni, flat out on a 29er with
short cranks.

Although I guess in a way that's just tuning for more speed rather than
ease of getting over the terrain, the fact it makes it harder isn't
really what it's about, riding over roots and rocks and down twisty
singletracks really fast is about speed and that feeling that you're
constantly pushing the edge of your balancing skill and pushing how fast
you're willing to go.

Joe


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