Best answer to same question: Where's your other wheel?

[SilentRider]

Originally Posted by knoxuni

On the topic of rude people. I had a guy a few days ago walk right behind me asking how good my balance is and i said so so and he said what if i push you and i told im i would fall and he did and the uni shot back behind me and gave him a wicked pedal bite and knocked him to the ground. what are people thinking .....

Terrible! Stupidity is sometimes a annoyance to me. Once I told my friend I start interesting in learn unicycle and muni. He said, "why are you wearing shin guard? I have seen some unicyclists on YouTube not wear shin guard. Why can't you ride without them?".
I explains him, "I feel more better with them till I improved myself and kept up without serious injuries." He keeps mocking me about wearing shin guard and I told him, "why can't you give a try on unicycle yourself?"
I knew he is chicken out and I won't let myself low to his levels.

[knoxuni]

he got what was comming tho

[Cyc]

Once a friend of mine and me were riding downhill. When I passed at a person walking uphill he shouted "you lost a wheel!" I responded "yes I know. The guy behind me picked it already up for me!"

[stag]

Originally Posted by PBOly

I sometimes say "one wheel is all you need" or "one person on wheel" or "it's just a wheeley without the other wheel!"

I like that one, I'll try and remember to use it next time I'm out. I used to ride past a pub in my local area and guy sitting outside always used to come out with the wheelie joke and laugh to his friends as if he was the most original person in the universe.

[stag]

Originally Posted by MuniAddict

"Where's your originality?"

Yeah, I sometimes reply with something similar: "If I got a quid for every time someone said that to me..."

[MuniAddict]

I also sometimes carry a little rc airplane wheel, attached to a string worn around my neck, and if asked that question I say, "here it is!" as I lift it out from under my shirt.

[aracer]

Originally Posted by stag

I like that one, I'll try and remember to use it next time I'm out. I used to ride past a pub in my local area and guy sitting outside always used to come out with the wheelie joke and laugh to his friends as if he was the most original person in the universe.

On a related note, I do have a stock answer to the "do a wheelie" comment - "I already am". Was slightly surprised to get that from one course-side tent whilst riding at Mountain Mayhem, as almost everybody I came across was very supportive and impressed - maybe they thought it was a supportive comment (I think they'd been on the beer ) - though my stock answer raised a laugh, so is clearly non-offensive to the questioner.

[johnfoss]

A couple I may not have thought of before:

• On my bicycle.
• What's the other wheel for?

Tons of others from earlier threads dating back to antiquity.

Originally Posted by JJuggle

...that has food you shouldn't eat, games you can not win, and rides which should be labeled Safety Not Guaranteed.

The games can be won; they're just hard. Getting the practice can be expensive! The rides are, on average, safer than the car trip you took to get to the fair. The food? Probably shouldn't eat.

So, I just said, well to answer your question, I took the off the training wheel. To which he said, surprised, "that thing came with a training wheel." At this point I realized my approach was all wrong, so I wished them a good day and rode off.

The proper approach for that guy's comment was to not give him any attention at all.

Originally Posted by knoxuni

..."what if i push you and i told im i would fall and he did and the uni shot back behind me and gave him a wicked pedal bite and knocked him to the ground. what are people thinking .....

You don't need to ask that question of people who were thinking. I hope, when your unicycle was shooting out behind you, you aimed it well.

[tholub]

Originally Posted by JJuggle

The fair in Keyport, NJ is being set up now. This is one of those fairs, at least in this area, usually sponsored by a Catholic Church or The American Legion that has food you shouldn't eat, games you can not win, and rides which should be labeled Safety Not Guaranteed.

Hey, that's not true, I won a bunch of goldfish in ziploc bags, which died on the way home. (That was over in Madison).

[aracer]

Originally Posted by johnfoss

The games can be won; they're just hard. Getting the practice can be expensive!

Indeed - on my recent trip to Butlins (which I've mentioned here before) I turned up at the funfair bit on my uni to meet my family one day. They were at a stall which had a horizontal ladder with pivots both ends which you had to climb to win a prize - my little boy had already had a go, and mrs aracer reckoned that I should have a go with my good balance. I was busy trying to get away as fast as possible - I knew the chances of winning were slight, as like all the balance sports I do having good balance might help, but it's nothing without the subconscious programming of reactions. The stallholder of course said it should be easy for me if I could ride a uni. I said I wanted to see somebody else have a go first, but he called my bluff and demonstrated climbing straight up. Mrs aracer paid for me to have 3 goes (her money!) I didn't even get more than 1 rung up any time. Upon further enquiry the lad running the stall reckoned it took him about 15 attempts to get it (I should point out he's an employee not on commission and the fair there isn't particularly a money making scheme there - lots of free rides and some games are fairly easy to win).

[JJuggle]

Originally Posted by johnfoss

The proper approach for that guy's comment was to not give him any attention at all.

You know, John, like for most of us the "where's your other wheel?" comment has become a mere source of amusement and coming up with retorts an exercise in both futility and a challenge to be creative.

But also like for most of us I have been called "an asshole", "a fucking faggot", and had things thrown at me. Not often, fortunately, but often enough. And normally from a moving car making it impossible to confront the rude person and their rudeness.

So, since this guy was just sitting, I wanted to politely ask him if that really was how he spoke to strangers. I got my answer. But I think it is also worth letting people know that, again as politely as possible because otherwise the message is lost, that that really is not a way to speak to strangers. I personally believe that riding a unicycle in public invites comments and I'm OK with that - I would argue, secretly, of course, that there is a clown in all of us who, in fact, relishes comments (but that's another thread) - but that rudeness is never acceptable.

[jbtilley]

I was a bit rude the other day... not the intent but I realized that it probably came across that way.

I was standing off to the side of the trail waiting on at least a dozen bikers coming from the opposite direction. One said:

"Your problem is you don't have enough wheels."

as if by reflexive instinct that I couldn't have stopped from saying if I tried:

"No, my problem is that I have far too many wheels in my way."

Oops. Like I said, it was out of my mouth before I realized I had said anything.

I rarely hear the WYOW comment, in fact the other day I was practicing hopping (I am terrible, a 4" curb is a struggle) and someone watching petitioned WYOW? It took me aback. I've been unicycling long enough in the woods either completely alone or with other unicyclists. What I was unselfconscious over at first has become a completely normal, run of the mill thing. I forget it may look strange to some because I've grown accustomed to it. Anyway I just got out a "It's at home" as opposed to the clearer response "How did you know I had another unicycle?" The guy did applaud when I finally managed to hop the curb once.

It all depends on where you ride I guess. I've almost exclusively stuck to the trails lately so the non-original comment I always get is more likely a sincere common comment/question "That must be good for your core." I guess need to get back to the non-exercise crowd to elicit different comments.

[MadFurai]

Originally Posted by jbtilley

It all depends on where you ride I guess. I've almost exclusively stuck to the trails lately so the non-original comment I always get is more likely a sincere common comment/question "That must be good for your core." I guess need to get back to the non-exercise crowd to elicit different comments.

Yes, I think unicyclists riding on the street will always get more comments than the average trail rider. So far I have only gotten positive comments, but I generally avoid people.

[Cyc]

"You just need to drink more, then you will see it!"

[MJS]

Originally Posted by Cyc

"You just need to drink more, then you will see it!"

Win.