The paradox at the heart of unicycling.

[Mikefule]

There are few, if any, practical applications for a unicycle for which it is more appropriate than walking, or a bicycle, or a tricycle. We take an interest in unicycling because it looks like it ought to be impossible, then we find that it's possible, but difficult.

Eventually, we find it's quite easy, so we start looking for more and more difficult challenges: distance, speed, obstacles, specific skills, that type of thing.

So, the attraction of unicycling is the difficulty, and when it becomes easy, we search out difficult things to do.

But the other thing we do is upgrade our unicycles to make it easier to do the difficult things: we buy fat tyres to smooth the bumps, or absorb the impact of drops; big wheels to cover more distance more quickly; and longer or shorter cranks to optimise the "gearing".

Then we go out and look for more difficult things to do on these "more capable" unicycles.

In theory, if it is the difficulty that attracts us, then why don't we all ride small wheels with narrow solid tyres?

We all "know" the answer, but can anyone explain it without apparent contradicition?

[vanman2004]

I, for one, don't seek difficulty, I seek fun. For me it's more fun to do big drops/skinnies/street tricks, so I get the unicycle that best enables me to do those.

[cyberpunk]

Because of two reasons

1: We are vain, by using large thick tires, it makes things that would be difficult, easy, so we can push the envelope once again, and make and create more, new, difficult things.

2: Too make the things that are difficult more enjoyable, its much more enjoyable to do something very difficult, (Like ride down a bumy, muddy, rooted trail on a 24x3 inch tire, then it is on a 20x2 inch tire. It may decrese difficulty, but then we can just compensate that by going further, and dooing more, making our time and effort more enjoyable.

[litldude2]

Its the same with bc wheels, people use platforms instead of pegs because its easier to ride but the platforms allow many more tricks which are harder to do than just riding a pegged bc. So although fat tires make things like trials easier, they also make it possible to do more stuff which is probably harder than doing basic stuff on a skinny solid tire. (thats kind of confusing )

[Mikefule]

I think the reference to vanity is on the nail.

There's more to it than that, though. Unicycling as I do it (all rolling, no dropping) is dancing with Newton. You can feel the various forces in dynamic balance - the curve that is "just right", the well timed swoop up the short hill.

On a fat tyre, you see the figures of the dance, rather than the steps.

A similar paradox arises when people set out to row the Atlantic, but in a boat made from the latest high tech carbon fibre. For the cost of all that carbon fibre, they could buy an outboard motor.

I used to ride a 2 stroke 250 cc motorcycle, and got great pleasure from arriving 500 miles from home with camping gear. I never got the same pleasure from my 660cc 4 stroke.

Maybe I'm weird (pauses and waits in vain for cries of denial from the gallery) but I find that less is more when it comes to action sports.

[DustinMichels]

I was going to reply here, but I'm not very good at intelligent posts.

Oops.

[lleberg]

When i ride a unicycle i want to see what's possible, learning to ride, ride backwards, one footed, soif, wheelwalk, 1ft ww.. gliding and so on.

The reason i pgrade my unis, buying new ones (just ordered a onza trials, my 5th unicycle, started riding last fall), is that i don't want the uni to be the boarder of what's possible, i want me to be the reason of not beeing able to do something, because i just love to learn things!

And i ride because it's fun, and i think it's more of a joy if i don't have to worry about if my uni is going to break all the time or if i'm not conftible, if i slip from my pedals, if i have to walk home because of a pinch flat, broken hub or crank..

[S_Wallis]

I enjoy the challenge of unicycling.

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

[onewheeldave]

hi mike, as a fellow 'roller'- I'd like to offer a different perspective.

I don't feel that i ride unis for the difficulty, for me it's the 'feel' of being on one wheel- that unique constant off-balance that, with experience, you resolve into a fuid smooth ride; the posture- upright and balanced with no need to be reaching for brakes and handlebars.

Also the extreme simplicity of the vehicle- as practical wheeled transport goes, the unicycle is surely as basic as it gets?

And also some practical aspects, for example, i find unicycling up and down steep hills is a way of staying in shape that really holds my attention- running, skipping etc are good, but I just find that I don't stick with them as I do with unicycling.

Given that I'm going to ride a one-wheeler (for the above reasons), I'm then interested in making that ride comfortable and relatively easy- I want to be able to ride with minimal UPD's.

While I appreciate the reasons you ride a skinny 28" wheel with 110/102 mm cranks, i personally wouldn't choose that set-up, one thing all my unis have in common is a fat tyre and longish cranks (eg 24x3 muni and 29-er with 150 cranks)- I've dabbled with skinnier tyres and shorter cranks, but I just don't like my rolling to be disturbed by UPD's when I go over a pebble.

Of course sometimes I feel like a bit of a challenge, and that's when I take my comfortable set-up onto some steep/rough off-road terrain, but mainly I'm just into rolling along and enjoying the one-wheel experience.

[tholub]

Originally posted by Mikefule
There are few, if any, practical applications for a unicycle for which it is more appropriate than walking, or a bicycle, or a tricycle. We take an interest in unicycling because it looks like it ought to be impossible, then we find that it's possible, but difficult.

Eventually, we find it's quite easy, so we start looking for more and more difficult challenges: distance, speed, obstacles, specific skills, that type of thing.

So, the attraction of unicycling is the difficulty, and when it becomes easy, we search out difficult things to do.

But the other thing we do is upgrade our unicycles to make it easier to do the difficult things: we buy fat tyres to smooth the bumps, or absorb the impact of drops; big wheels to cover more distance more quickly; and longer or shorter cranks to optimise the "gearing".

Then we go out and look for more difficult things to do on these "more capable" unicycles.

In theory, if it is the difficulty that attracts us, then why don't we all ride small wheels with narrow solid tyres?

We all "know" the answer, but can anyone explain it without apparent contradicition?

On an easy trail, it is more fun to ride a cross-country or skinny-tire unicycle than a MUni. But it's more fun to ride a really difficult trail than to ride an easy trail, no matter what unicycle you're on, and a hard-core MUni makes it possible to ride increasingly difficult trails.

[ChangingLINKS.com]

Originally posted by S_Wallis
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.)

[joemarshall]

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

[unicus]

Originally posted by joemarshall
I like unicycles cos they're fun to ride.

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

Originally posted by joemarshall
I'm still not sure about the ethics of brakes though!

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

Originally posted by joemarshall
…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?

[Scipio]

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.

[donna]

Sounds to me like there is a Mikefule Hierarchy of Need here:

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.