Are you 45+

[Bondo]

I'm close...44 in a few days.

I have been unicycling since 1977, I learned just enough uni-skills to perform a short bit in my juggling act. I have unicycled on stages across this fine country I like to call "America" and all over the world. I left show biz to move to the mountains of Colorado and now I continue to perform - but on a morning radio show where no one cares if I unicycle or not.

I am intrigued by the new Muni throngs, and living among some of the best singletrack in the country I know I have to get out there and try it. So this old dog has some NEW tricks to learn!

Great thread. Nice to see some other 40 sumtin sumtins telemark skiing and riding the single wheels!!

[utemplarbond]

Originally Posted by Cynbad

I'm 45. Unicycled around the house as a kid unil about 15. Just bought a KH24 a couple of months ago. I ride trails and love it. Wish I could do some hopping tricks, but am afraid of hurting my allready damaged ankles. Also wanting the new Coker when it finally comes out........still waiting! My first passion is kiteboarding, big air, freestyle, and waveriding. i bought my fiance a LX 20", but it just sits in the garage. He is 54 and just doesn't have the drive to want to learn.

45 here, my perfect woman above.

[One on one]

I am also a proud member of this thread. 4 years of riding with 49 years of life experience. Muni is by far my favorite. I enjoy riding the rocky trails, at a State park 10 minutes from my house. Besides the Muni, I have a custom built Coker along with 4 other various sized unis that get free room and board in the downstairs apartment. Don't tell them, it's really just the cellar.

Being the only Muni rider around, I very much enjoy the interesting comments that I receive while riding through the woods.

Great to see the oldies coming out to post in this thread.

[bikersteve241]

I'm 52 and took it up after my wife got me a unicycle for my 50th birthday. Best present I ever got. Took me forever, it seemed, to learn, but now I enjoy doing longer distances and hills and hope to start muni soon.

[stevea]

I'm stoked to see that my original post has grow to over 70 messages in a couple of days. I'm even more stoked to report that my buddy Tom (who needs to wait a few years before he can post to this thread) and I did our first MUni ride this morning. I was on my KH24 which I bought last week.

For those of you familiar with Utah, this is the Pipeline trail in Mill Creek.



This is the first year I wanted the snow to hold off a little longer...

[tomblackwood]

Originally Posted by stevea

For those of you familiar with Utah, this is the Pipeline trail in Mill Creek.

That's a sweet trail, isn't it? I've never ridden it in the fall, but man those colors look great.

So I need to tell a little old fart story about that trail, and the ride up the paved road on Mill Creek Canyon to get to it. I was back in SLC about two years ago in June...still qualified for this thread...to attend a friend's wedding. That same friend lived in Mill Creek Canyon, and recommended I ride up Mill Creek road, then back down the pipeline trail. In June, the road is still closed to auto traffic, so it's a pedaler's dream, or rather, it's a seriously long uphill that starts at about 5,000 feet and keeps going for miles. Maybe not a dream, but certainly a major workout.

There was all sorts of two-wheeled riff-raff around, plus some moms on rollerblades pushing baby-joggers, etc. A good mix. I started climbing up the road, and before long got into my groove and started passing bikes. And kept passing bikes. For a couple of miles, no one was passing me and I was feeling pretty invincible. Then I start hearing some bike noise behind me, way in the distance. It gets louder. And louder. I'm thinking to myself "whoever's on the bike, they're seriously cranking!". Finally the noise gets close enough I can tell it's not one bike but two, both girls, chattering away. At about 50 feet, I hear "He's on a unicycle; man that's crazy."

Then they pull even with me and I look over, only to see my friend Kristin from college, who I hadn't seen or talked to in close to a decade. We both yelled out at the same time, then dismounted for sweaty hugs and "what the heck are you doing up heres?". Like me, she was out having a bit of a pre-wedding workout. She had a couple years on me, and introduced me to her friend who also had a couple years on me. These were a couple of seriously fit 45+ women, and I remember thinking it was no surprise that they caught me. It was only after we had been standing there talking for about 5 minutes that the rest of their (mostly younger) riding group caught up. They were all sucking major wind.

After some polite intros all around, we continued our rides. They were heading for the summit, and I was heading another mile up-road to the start of the pipeline trail back down. Kristin and her friend quickly pulled away in front, just as they had been in the process of doing when we stopped. Their group quickly fell behind again, and I stayed safely in between until I reached my turn off.

That was a highpoint of the weekend for me...getting chicked on the canyon climb by a couple of women older then me, while simultaneously dusting a bunch of bikers who were younger than me.

The three of us...plus a few other elders...were also the last ones on the dance floor at the reception. Of course, by that time it was all just "muscle memory".

[steveyo]

Originally Posted by tomblackwood

...up Mill Creek road, then back down the pipeline trail....I look over, only to see my friend Kristin from college, who I hadn't seen or talked to in close to a decade. We both yelled out at the same time, then dismounted for sweaty hugs and "what the heck are you doing up heres?". Like me, she was out having a bit of a pre-wedding workout. She had a couple years on me, and introduced me to her friend who also had a couple years on me. These were a couple of seriously fit 45+ women,

Very cool.

[tholmer]

Checking in at 46. It is cool that there is a number of us, and that there are some women! I have a 20", a KH24 and a KH29. I try to ride a little every day. I love each one, but I am having a blast on my new KH29. Love that big wheel and how it rolls along. I will figure out how to attach a picture one of these days....

Cheers!

[legtod2]

tholmer, what ultralights do you fly ?

I fly a wills wing hang glider

Its funny, since I got back into unicycling, I don't fly as much or even drive my motorcycle.

I also took delivery of my 29" last thursday. How are you doing on yours?

[tholmer]

I have not flown any untralights since I was 18, but I learned on a wills wing. Your right, I don't ride my mountain bike or road bike much at all any more and I just sold my Harley Davidson Fat Boy this past August.

I am doing fine on my 29" except I can't free mount it yet. I can ride for miles but if I get off anywhere and don't have the side of my truck to remount it, I will have to walk it home. The only other thing, I have a little harder time making a tight right turn, turning left is easier.

What made you think I fly hang gliders?

[rem48]

[QUOTE=tholmer]I am doing fine on my 29" except I can't free mount it yet. I can ride for miles but if I get off anywhere and don't have the side of my truck to remount it, I will have to walk it home. The only other thing, I have a little harder time making a tight right turn, turning left is easier.

It takes 3-5 times to mount on my N36. I figure that is just one of those things to practice, practice, practice. As for the right turn trouble...... maybe it is an age thing. I'm 48 and concur, left turns are easier than right.

[underdog]

That's weird. For the longest time, I had a much easier time with left turns. I've been riding quite a lot lately though and now my turns feel pretty equal.

As to mounting the 29, just keep practicing. I had a hard time with this for a while when I stepped up to the 29er from my 24. Now I pretty well nail the mounts on the 29er. I'm still not very proficient at mounting my N36 but it keeps getting better. Maybe the 36 is what made the 29 seem not so big.

[harper]

Yes.

[mikevm]

Where have I been, just found you guys. I'm 44 and just fulfilled a childhood dream, bought a giraffe. 5.5 feet tall. Holy smokes talk about an adrenaline rush. I haven't riden much for the past 30 years now I'm on a giraffe unicycle! It's a lot farther to the ground than on my other unicycle! What a rush! I love this.

[johnfoss]

Now that there's a whole crowd of us here, it might be fun to compare demographics. I notice most of you are either relatively recent converts to unicycling, or else you rode when you were kids, and in most cases went for many years without riding, or with hardly any riding.

I feel like I'm one of the oddballs, having started (fully) in 1979 and ridden regularly ever since. Also none of my kids ride, because I have no kids. I do have a niece who rides, and a separate nephew who kind of rides, and another separate nephew (all different parents) who used to ride MUni but I think he's into other things now, at age 19.

I ride for health, for fun, and to get together with other unicyclists.