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Distance Riding

Started by kraze · · Last activity · 19 posts · 504 views

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rec.sport.unicycling
Published
5 September 2004
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8 September 2004
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kraze
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  1. Who here mainly enjoys their unicycle for riding, no tricks? When I get
    back I'd like to go out on a Saturday, and ride for hours. Something to
    work up to of course, but eventually take all day, stay the night
    somewhere, and ride back the next day. I've read stories of people
    riding cross country, people entering the STP. Do people get together
    for rides, or mainly to compare tricks?

    --
    kraze - Army Of One Wheel

    Post proelia praemia.
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  2. Gadzooks! If you refer to "tricks" you'll hear the midnight knock on
    the door. "Skills", "performance skills", even "stunts", but not
    "tricks"! There are people waiting to pounce on every such slip.:eek:

    (Long-term members of the forum will perhaps recall that tow which I
    refer.😉 )

    But back to the original point: depending on what you mean by long
    distance, there's quite a lot of it going on. Some people do only long
    distance; some people ahve several unis and are multidisciplinary.
    Because this is a minority sport anyway, long distance riding tends to
    be a bit of a solitary occupation unless you are lucky enough to have a
    family member or a nearby friend who also rides.

    There are no rules. I do most of my riding alone, but I have ridden in
    a pack of five once, and often in pairs. I've never done an overnight
    stop though. A long day out and 30 - 50 miles is enough for me. 10 -
    20 mile rides on a big wheel are pretty easy.

    --
    Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

    Everyone should be fatuous for 15 minutes.
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  3. Tricks, stunts, skills, whatever people want to say is fine by me. What
    I think I should look into is a Coker. Of the different types of
    riding, I'm most interested in hearing people's stories of their
    distance rides.

    --
    kraze - Army Of One Wheel

    Post proelia praemia.
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  4. kraze said:

    *Of the different types of riding, I'm most interested in hearing
    people's stories of their distance rides. *

    You have a wandering spirit. The Coker is great for that. You are
    showing early symptoms of "Coker fever". There is a cure...but there is
    only one cure.

    But I also believe it is the better writers who are also Coker riders,
    not that Coker riding is necessarily more interesting. Sometimes on a
    distance ride, you might go 3 or 4 miles without anything more
    interesting than spinning feet.

    [If MikeFule would dissect a MUni ride, you'd be enthralled.]

    --
    Memphis Mud - Student of GrandMaster 2T

    Mantra: Avoid Hitting Tailbone...Avoid Hitting Tailbone...

    "do not think, just ride"...muniracer
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  5. Memphis Mud said:

    *But I also believe it is the better writers who are also Coker
    riders, not that Coker riding is necessarily more interesting.
    Sometimes on a distance ride, you might go 3 or 4 miles without
    anything more interesting than spinning feet.
    *

    Distance riding gives good thinking time, maybe this is why some coker
    heads write well.

    Sarah

    --
    sarah.miller - unicycist
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  6. Memphis Mud said:

    *But I also believe it is the better writers who are also Coker
    riders, not that Coker riding is necessarily more interesting.
    Sometimes on a distance ride, you might go 3 or 4 miles without
    anything more interesting than spinning feet.
    *

    Distance riding gives good thinking time, maybe this is why some coker
    heads write well.

    Sarah

    --
    sarah.miller - unicycist
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  7. Yeah I love distance. Me and a friend are looking into beating Lars's
    reacord starting in about a year. I do all my distance on my touring,
    which i like alot. As for multi-disciplinary i also do street. that's
    about it.

    --
    Worminton - That's my art.

    Dude is to Man as "Fo scnizel my nizel" is to "i whole heartedly agree
    my African American Brother."

    I own a new Chromatic Harmonica.

    "LIES!!!!LIES!!!!!THE TV IS NOTHING BUT LIES!!!!!"
    -My brother screaming at a comercial for a washing machine.
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  8. It's interesting to speculate. Are the ride reports of long distance
    rides more interesting because:

    A) You're more interested in long distance riding?
    B) There is more to happen on a long distance ride, so more to
    report?
    C) Long distance riding tends to attract an older age group, with
    perhaps a little more to say about the world, and with better writing
    skills?
    D) Or something else?

    I've written up rides from about 20 to about 50 miles on the Coker or
    28, and MUni rides from 5 to about 15 miles. There's usually plenty to
    write, but the Coker/28 reports tend to be about the people I meet, the
    things I see, and the odd thoughts that cross my mind; the MUni reports
    tend to be more about the ride itself. I'm not sure I could write up an
    hour spent doing freestyle without it being a simple list of what I did
    - not that I can do an hour's worth of freestyle skills, but if I
    could...)

    Anyway, if distance is your thang, you need a Coker or a 28/29. there
    are pros and cons to both, and I strongly suspect that most people who
    buy one end up buying the other as well eventually.

    --
    Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

    Everyone should be fatuous for 15 minutes.
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  9. kraze said:

    Tricks, stunts, skills, whatever people want to say is fine by me. What
    I think I should look into is a Coker. Of the different types of
    riding, I'm most interested in hearing people's stories of their
    distance rides.

    Then a search of Google Groups
    <URL:http://www.google.co.uk/advanced_group_search?hl=en> for posts to
    rec.sport.unicycling by Mikefule will take you to a seam of gold. Other
    people write good ride reports as well (I've got a couple of unicycle
    ride reports at
    <URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/cycling/ridereports/> ),
    but Mike writes the most.

    I find that distance rides can be great fun with friends. If I ride on
    my own then I tend to get bored at unicycle speeds, I prefer two wheels.
    Although, to go slightly OT, if I'd been riding at Coker speed and
    height instead of bike speed and height on my way home from work this
    evening then the result of someone stretching fishing line across the
    cyclepath might have been slightly different from this:
    <URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/z-neck.jpg>

    --
    Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
    <URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
    "He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

  10. kraze said:

    *When I get back I'd like to go out on a Saturday, and ride for
    hours.*

    Where will you be when you get back to the U.S.?

    --
    Doug - Unicyclist

    Ride like you stole it!
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  11. I'm from the Puget Sound area of Washington. Now I'm looking into the
    28" unicycles on unicycle.com. I'd like to do 50 or 100 mile rides and
    these seem to be the made for distance riding. I think 28" is fine, I
    don't need the 36" Coker.

    --
    kraze - Army Of One Wheel

    Post proelia praemia.
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  12. kraze said:

    * I think 28" is fine, I don't need the 36" Coker. *

    You don't need a Coker in exactly the same way as you don't need beer
    and good music.

    30 miles on the Coker is a good ride; on a 28, it's an expedition. The
    36 inch wheel is 29% bigger, so you go 29% further per pedal stroke. On
    a Coker, a mile is 1121 pedal strokes.

    On a 28, it's 1441 pedal strokes.

    That's 320 pedal strokes per mile x 50 miles = 16,000 extra pedal
    strokes on a 50 mile ride.

    A 28 is a specialised tool. A 29 is more versatile (same wheel, fatter
    tyre. Compare a 29 and a Coker and you will find pros and cons, but if
    you assume good safe riding conditions, the Coker wins on distance every
    time.

    --
    Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

    Everyone should be fatuous for 15 minutes.
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  13. kraze said:

    * I think 28" is fine, I don't need the 36" Coker. *

    You don't need a Coker in exactly the same way as you don't need beer
    and good music.

    30 miles on the Coker is a good ride; on a 28, it's an expedition. The
    36 inch wheel is 29% bigger, so you go 29% further per pedal stroke. On
    a Coker, a mile is 1121 pedal strokes.

    On a 28, it's 1441 pedal strokes.

    That's 320 pedal strokes per mile x 50 miles = 16,000 extra pedal
    strokes on a 50 mile ride.

    A 28 is a specialised tool. A 29 is more versatile (same wheel, fatter
    tyre. Compare a 29 and a Coker and you will find pros and cons, but if
    you assume good safe riding conditions, the Coker wins on distance every
    time.

    --
    Mikefule - Roland Hope School of Unicycling

    Everyone should be fatuous for 15 minutes.
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  14. Worminton said:

    *Me and a friend are looking into beating Lars's reacord starting in
    about a year.*


    Which record? He has a 24 hour and an overall distance record.

    As for the difference between a 28" and a Coker, if your main goal is to
    cover long distances, go straight to the Coker. I've been riding mine to
    work. Before the competitions this summer I did some riding to work on
    my 29". Same ride, a *lot* more work. I'd arrive in more time, and more
    sweaty.

    The advantage of a smaller unicycle over a Coker is fitting it into the
    car (and elsewhere), and it's lighter. Otherwise get the Coker.

    If you don't care how fast you go, the smaller wheel is fine. But it
    will mean less miles per day. In any case, I recommend a Yuni with Big
    Apple tire. That's 29", and a nice cushy tire for those long miles.

    --
    johnfoss - Walkin' on the edge

    John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
    "jfoss" at "unicycling.com" -- www.unicycling.com

    "Read the rules!"
    'IUF Rulebook' (http://www.unicycling.org/iuf/rulebook/)
    'USA Rulebook' (http://www.unicycling.org/usa/competition/)
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  15. kraze said:

    *I'm from the Puget Sound area of Washington. Now I'm looking into
    the 28" unicycles on unicycle.com. I'd like to do 50 or 100 mile
    rides and these seem to be the made for distance riding. I think 28"
    is fine, I don't need the 36" Coker. *

    There are a number of riders in the Puget Sound area that regularly get
    together and swap between trials, muni, and distance riding. All the
    distance riders have Cokers, and I think all would tell you that this is
    the size to go with. (See recent thread on Harper Birthday Ride for a
    link to some pics). A 20 mile plus ride on a 28 would be a LOT of work
    I think.

    If you're unsure, wait until you get back and hook up with us to try
    one. At least one of the riders has both a 29 and a 36, so you could
    get a direct comparison. The 36 rules.

    --
    tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

    Tailgate at your own risk.....

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  16. kraze said:

    *I'm from the Puget Sound area of Washington. Now I'm looking into
    the 28" unicycles on unicycle.com. I'd like to do 50 or 100 mile
    rides and these seem to be the made for distance riding. I think 28"
    is fine, I don't need the 36" Coker. *

    There are a number of riders in the Puget Sound area that regularly get
    together and swap between trials, muni, and distance riding. All the
    distance riders have Cokers, and I think all would tell you that this is
    the size to go with. (See recent thread on Harper Birthday Ride for a
    link to some pics). A 20 mile plus ride on a 28 would be a LOT of work
    I think.

    If you're unsure, wait until you get back and hook up with us to try
    one. At least one of the riders has both a 29 and a 36, so you could
    get a direct comparison. The 36 rules.

    --
    tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

    Tailgate at your own risk.....

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  17. You're gonna want a Coker. Let us (the Seattle area riders) know when
    you get back to Washington and we can hook you up with a Coker to try.
    I've got a spare (stock) Coker and there's some other Cokers in the area
    just laying around. You'll get to test ride a Coker and at that point
    you should be hooked.

    29ers also have their use, but they're more specialized. If you're
    riding around a college campus or in amongst city traffic then you might
    opt for a 29er over the Coker because the 29er will be more maneuverable
    and easier to control. But for open roads and for distance the Coker is
    king.

    --
    john_childs - Guinness Mojo

    john_childs (at) hotmail (dot) com
    Gallery: '' (http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/john_childs)
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  18. Ditto Mike fule, John foss, Tom blackwood, and John childs.... GET a
    COKER.

    --
    aspenmike - unicycling albino
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  19. I ride 4 both, like im constantly trying to improve my freestyle skills,
    (which aren't much,) but just this saturday i did 12 miles on a 20" uni.

    --
    gasmaster - level 4 unicyclist

    Real men only need 1 wheel.
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