Why do you distance unicycle?

I pondered this question many times over about why riding distance in
general. Then I got a road bike and the challange became seeing how fast
I could get places around the city. Its not something you can really
explain to people as why you would want to push your body into doing
something that there is an easier way to do. I imagine riding distance
on a coker is a similar.

Why ride for distance in general? a car will almost always get you there
faster... Dont try to reason it, its something you just have to do and
have a passion for in order to fully understand why do it...

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I run cross-country and did some inline distance skating over the
summer. I just starting unicycling so I don't have a coker or any other
big wheeled unicycle. But to answer your question (why people go
distance running/cycling/skating) for me at least (different people
probably have different reasons) I like doing distance runs just because
it feels good. After a long run, you're dead tired, gasping for breath,
you've gone non stop for 10 or so miles (more on skates or
uni/bi/cycles) but you just feel good. So yea, thats the reason, it
feels good.

I really liked distance speedskating because of how fast you could go.
It was a rush, especially on monster hills. I dunno how fast coker's can
go but they are faster and going fast is fun.

--
foozy - ...
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gerblefranklin said:

*I'm curious for all those coker riders out there, why do you choose a
coker to do distance riding? Why not just use a road bike? Distance
riding just seems boring to me. So anyways, can anyone explain the
mentality behind this?

BTW, remember, you are talking to someone who used to commute 2.1miles
to school up and down hills on an onza trials uni, so it's not like
I've never done stuff on a uni where a bike would be better. And if
you are wondering why I did this, it's because I've never had a uni
with a wheel bigger than 24", and I didn't have a functioning bike at
the time. And honestly if you want a better justification than that, i
can't give it. *

I use my Coker as my (nearly) exclusive form of transportation here in
Manhattan... as well as using it to go on distance rides about once a
week... either weaving in and out of cars through the streets of NYC or
riding along one or both of the rivers. The Coker serves my needs much
better than a road bike could here in the City for several reasons (I
have both hands free to carry groceries and stuff when I go shopping and
when I have to use (or move) my car, the Coker fits in the trunk, making
commuting back and forth between my apartment and my often very distant
parking spot a breeze, etc.), but I'll stick to the question at hand -
distance riding. Certainly when I'm riding in the streets the Coker is
better than a bike because it's much more maneuverable and I can weave
in and out of cars and other tight spots that bikes can't even get
through because of their handlebars (I have to turn my body sideways
sometimes). Whether I'm on the streets or the bike path along the river,
I find plenty of opportunitites to have fun carving sharp turns, riding
down stairs (sometimes up a few stairs, too), or finding some curbs or
other skinnies to ride along. You can't have much fun carving turns on a
road bike or riding stairs and skinnies. The urban landscape offers
plenty of ways to mix it up and have a great time... and you get a lot
more exercise than on a road bike.

--
HardcoreCokerRider - Skateparks, MTB & Urban Insanity
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"gerblefranklin" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I'm curious for all those coker riders out there, why do you choose a
coker to do distance riding? Why not just use a road bike? Distance
riding just seems boring to me. So anyways, can anyone explain the
mentality behind this?

Distance riding is not just about distance or else you would ride circles in
the gym. Its the whole experience, reacting with the environment, being
out there. Adding the coker is the icing, something extra on top of an
already enjoyable experience.
People do it because they enjoy it, simple as that.

Nao

How do you lock up your coker outside when you go to places (grocery
store, etc.)?

--
siafirede - straight edge in your face
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I too wonder what the attraction is to long distance unicycling. Sure I
can see that riding in an urban environment would more suitable for a
unicycle, but what about touring on the open road? I think I'd rather
ride a bicycle.

--
phlegm - skill level e
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siafirede said:

*How do you lock up your coker outside when you go to places (grocery
store, etc.)? *

I don't... I bring it in with me and usually roll it around... or once
in a while I'll stick it in a corner somewhere in the store and keep an
eye on it. When I ride it to the local watering hole that I like (that's
not so local), I have to be extra careful because I have more guts and
less judgement when I leave... and I've miscalculated my clearance when
going through some tight spots a few times and have also failed to spot
a pothole in advance that I ordinarily would have seen!

--
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phlegm said:

*I too wonder what the attraction is to long distance unicycling.
Sure I can see that riding in an urban environment would more suitable
for a unicycle, but what about touring on the open road? I think I'd
rather ride a bicycle. *

1) Why do people run marathons when it's faster to ride a unicycle?
2) Why would anyone ride a unicycle when it's faster to ride a road
bike?
3) why ride a road bike if driving a car is faster?
4) Why drive when you can fly?

I do all the above, not in any particular order. I enjoy 2 and 3 and
sometimes 1. 3 (car) and 4 (flying) are handy, but I rarely enjoy them
as much. I love Road biking, but sometimes I'm sick of just going fast
and want a different feel to what I ride- hence the Coker. Checkernuts
and Naomi summed it up nicely for me. Don't reason with it- do it if
you enjoy it, or to give variety to what you do, otherwise forget it and
just ride the bike.

As for riding in an urban environment- that's fun but after jumping off
things for a while it gets pretty boring for me. Prefer to go places
and enjoy the change in scenery.

--
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o-kO
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gerblefranklin said:

*I'm curious for all those coker riders out there, why do you choose a
coker to do distance riding? Why not just use a road bike? Distance
riding just seems boring to me. So anyways, can anyone explain the
mentality behind this? BTW, remember, you are talking to someone blah
blah blah up and down hills so it's not like I've never blah blah
blah. And honestly if you want a better justification than that, i
can't give it. *

WHY??? To get me further--on one wheel and at an average speed of 10
miles per hour--from questions like those.

Seriously Gerbil, go back to disproving Einstein's theory of relativity
or something.

--
Ethel_The_Tree - Shoulder of Fortune
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GizmoDuck said:

*1) Why do people run marathons when it's faster to ride a unicycle?

2) Why would anyone ride a unicycle when it's faster to ride a road
bike?
3) why ride a road bike if driving a car is faster?
4) Why drive when you can fly?

I do all the above, not in any particular order. I enjoy 2 and 3 and
sometimes 1. 3 (car) and 4 (flying) are handy, but I rarely enjoy
them as much. I love Road biking, but sometimes I'm sick of just going
fast and want a different feel to what I ride- hence the Coker.
Checkernuts and Naomi summed it up nicely for me. Don't reason with
it- do it if you enjoy it, or to give variety to what you do,
otherwise forget it and just ride the bike.

As for riding in an urban environment- that's fun but after jumping
off things for a while it gets pretty boring for me. Prefer to go
places and enjoy the change in scenery. *

Funny, I do (or have done) all of those too. I used to run to help stay
in shape and clear my mind after school. When running screwed up my
knees, I started biking. I started road biking after buying one older
then I am at a garage sale. The speed was a lot of fun and I started
biking to school. I've done many century rides on my 1980 Miyata road
bike, but soon it became boring. There isn't too much new road to ride
in Hawaii. The day before my last marathon I got my shinny new Torker
in the mail. That marathon marked the last time I "went for a run".
Since then I've stopped biking as well. Unicycing is what I do for the
majority of my physical fitness requirements.

I road uni because I find it more fun then biking and a whole lot more
work. It allowed me to get more exercise in less time, less space, and
more cheaply then a bike, and it didn't wreck my knees like running. I
also think it's safer then biking because of the lower speeds. I've
topped out my Miyata at 47 miles an hour. I couldn't imagine falling at
that speed. You might say that you don't have to go that fast, but when
you are at the top of that hill, you can't help but go fast.

To sum up, I road uni because....
It's fun
It's good exercise
It doesn't wreck my knees like running
It's cheap

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daino149 said:

*I've topped out my Miyata at 47 miles an hour. I couldn't imagine
falling at that speed.

To sum up, I road uni because....
It's fun
It's good exercise
It doesn't wreck my knees like running
It's cheap *

Crikey :eek: I hope you have brakes on that thing.

Yeah, I like the bit about cheap. Currently my RB is skipping like
crazy because the drivetrain is shot. Haven't had to replace anything
on the Coker yet, except as upgrades.

Ken

p/s Hmm...what's with all the big avatars?

--
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My thoughts:

There isn't a mentality around it. It's a bodily experience.

Being moderately active for hours gives a person an athletes high.

It's fun sitting up high.

Often times, I want to go for a long ride, but I don't have far to go. A
uni gives you more time for the distance.

A uni offers a more connected experience than a bike. I think "turn" and
my uni turns.

When I ride with my girlfriend, my coker pace matches her bike pace.

It's more fun on a uni. C'mon Bevan, you know that. It just IS.

Uni's require more focused attention then bikes, which helps quiet a
noisy mind.

EVERYONE rides bikes. (actually, everyone drives cars)

I think you'd find distance riding on a bike boring too.

...I could go on.

Has anybody ever noticed that older folks tend to do better at endurance
sports, where younger people perform better with shorter more intense
sports?

gerblefranklin said:

*I'm curious for all those coker riders out there, why do you choose a
coker to do distance riding? Why not just use a road bike? Distance
riding just seems boring to me. So anyways, can anyone explain the
mentality behind this?

*

--
mscalisi - Not such a newbie anymore
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My thoughts:

There isn't a mentality around it. It's a bodily experience.

Being moderately active for hours gives a person an athletes high.

It's fun sitting up high.

Often times, I want to go for a long ride, but I don't have far to go. A
uni gives you more time for the distance.

A uni offers a more connected experience than a bike. I think "turn" and
my uni turns.

When I ride with my girlfriend, my coker pace matches her bike pace.

It's more fun on a uni. C'mon Bevan, you know that. It just IS.

Uni's require more focused attention then bikes, which helps quiet a
noisy mind.

EVERYONE rides bikes. (actually, everyone drives cars)

I think you'd find distance riding on a bike boring too.

...I could go on.

Has anybody ever noticed that older folks tend to do better at endurance
sports, where younger people perform better with shorter more intense
sports?

gerblefranklin said:

*I'm curious for all those coker riders out there, why do you choose a
coker to do distance riding? Why not just use a road bike? Distance
riding just seems boring to me. So anyways, can anyone explain the
mentality behind this?

*

--
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Ethel_The_Tree said:

*WHY??? To get me further--on one wheel and at an average speed of
10 miles per hour--from questions like those.

Seriously Gerbil, go back to disproving Einstein's theory of
relativity or something. *

Hard to argue with that one, but if it doesn't taste right, go back up
and check Naomi's post. She nails it for me.

--
tomblackwood - Registered Nurtz

Tailgate at your own risk.....

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Why endurance sports in general?
Its a lot to do with the challenge.........to test your limits....just
to see if you can....Similar to the "Why climb Everest? because its
there" situation.....To do something which you once thought was beyond
you...

But why unicycles?
It just adds an another dimension........makes it a tad more
interesting.......Is it only me but I feel a lot more content after
completing x miles on a uni than a bike...

--
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Why not? 😉

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I like seeing OVER the hedges!

Don't get that in a car or on a bike, do on a coker.

I do do distance on a bike as well, in fact at the mo I'm doing way more
miles on the bike than the yike, why, just coz that whats I'm riding for
fun at the mo. Last summer it was the other way round. I ride miles for
fun, its a nice way to spend a sunny day out in the country seeing
places.

Sarah

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last week i had things to do in town, and i rode upwards of 10 miles
every day last week. cokers are just fun, not to mention maneuverable
and flashy. i have a road bike, and the coker is just a better workout,
easier to store places and neigh impossible to steal. i find its not
boring if i have music to listen to while doing it, which i do
regularly.
Top speed on my odometer at present : 21.5 mph

--
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shadowuni said:

*Top speed on my odometer at present : 21.5 mph *

Wow, man. You must have pushed the wheel across the ground pretty fast
to get the sensor to read that!

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