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Justifying unicycles

Started by phil · · Last activity · 27 posts · 715 views

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rec.sport.unicycling
Published
22 October 2005
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28 October 2005
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phil
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  1. For various reasons I'm having a bit of a clearout; mercilessly scouring
    through the house expunging the weak, the lame and the stuff that
    doesn't get used enough to justify keeping it.

    The garage is a prime target, as it currently contains a lot of wheels.
    In there are two bikes and three unicycles; that's a lot of space for
    things I can only ride one at a time.

    One bike is the mountainbike; it is new and probably the most often
    used, so is safe. The other bike is the runabout, specialising in going
    to town and back and the backbone of my local transport, so can also
    rest easy.

    Of the unicycles, the muni gets used the most; the 29er gets used more
    during the winter when I'm not in the mood to slide around in thick mud
    and leaves on the muni, and can just cruise rapidly along easier
    tracks. They have nothing to fear.

    Which leaves the 20" trials unicycle. This has been used exactly twice
    this year; one SWUM towards the beginning of the year, and Princetown
    carnival in August. The question is... is being used twice a year
    enough to justify taking up a corner of the garage? I don't do trials
    any more; I ride muni almost exclusively, which means I'll take the
    muni or 29er. Hockey is reserved for unimeets and the like. Events like
    the carnival could be done just as well with one of the larger wheels.

    I have a Fireball tyre in the garage... if I put that on the muni,
    maybe with some shorter cranks, could the muni perform the role of the
    20? For unimeets it hardly matters; it would be a bit of a tank for the
    rare occasions when I do play hockey but think of the speed... 🙂

    I'm all a-flutter. It seems silly to -not- have a 20", but it seems
    sillier to have a unicycle that only gets ridden twice a year. Any
    opinions or anecdotes on life without a 20" would be gratefully
    appreciated...

    Phil

    --
    phil

    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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  2. a 24 is fine for hockey, so no problems with the muni there. If you're
    near a wilkos, they do a 24" tyre which is okay for hockey and costs £3
    or so, which is a lot more narrow than the fireball.

    At unimeets, someone usually has a spare wheel you can borrow for
    hockey anyway.

    But then I've never had a 20" so maybe I don't know what I'm missing.

    Joe

    --
    joemarshall

    my pics http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuq44
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  3. phil said:

    The question is... is being used twice a year enough to justify taking
    up a corner of the garage? I don't do trials any more; I ride muni
    almost exclusively, which means I'll take the muni or 29er.

    You partially answered your question already. If you don't plan to ride
    Trials much, it might be better to sell that one. Then you could buy a
    nice Freestyle/hockey machine, or whatever you want.

    And a few hooks, to hang them from the ceiling. There's probably plenty
    of room up there for more.

    I have unicycles that don't even get ridden once a year. Some that are
    just there as part of the collection, and are not intended for riding
    ever. I've got the space thing figured out (for now, long as there's
    enough garage ceiling space). What I worry more about is the effects of
    time and temperature on them. They need occasional cleaning and care,
    which I haven't been very good at...

    --
    johnfoss

    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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  4. You have a garage so no need to worry about taking up space. All my unis
    have to fit in my broom cupboard so it's a bit more difficult. But no
    reason to throw any out.

    --
    ThisGuyIKnow
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  5. Sell the 20 to make room for a Coker. Er...

    --
    Mikefule

    So, do you ride with a club?

    No, but I carry a heavy spanner.
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  6. You never know when you are absolutely definately going to need
    something. Usually the day after you have got rid of it. Keep them
    all.

    Cathy

    Actually, I'm looking for a 20" trial for xmas. Sell it to me for
    pennies.

    --
    cathwood

    Run to the bedroom in the suitcase on the left you'll find my favourite
    axe;
    Don't look so frightened this is just a passing phase, one of my bad
    days - Pink Floyd.

    http://www.chuckingandtwirling.co.uk
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  7. I just keep mine in my bedroom propped against a wall, it's so cool
    just to look at even if you're not riding it.
    I bought a suction pad thing that I can stick onto the side of my
    cupboard and hang the unicycle from that, maybe it's worth investing in
    something similar? .. hooks would be cheaper ^^ but no where near as
    kickass as suction pads.

  8. The main reason I've been scouring the place is that I probably won't be
    in this house for much longer. At the moment there is a garage, and it
    is pretty empty (or rather, it would be if it weren't for the bikes,
    unicycles and piles of cycling-related miscellania); whether this state
    of having-lots-of-space is going to continue I do not know. I'd rather
    prune the wastrels now rather than when it starts to hit the fan.

    I'm currently heavily leaning in the get-rid-of-it option...

    Phil

    --
    phil

    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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  9. Miek said:


    I bought a suction pad thing that I can stick onto the side of my
    cupboard and hang the unicycle from that, maybe it's worth investing
    in
    something similar?

    I have a suction-cup mount for my GPS for use in the car. The GPS
    weighs a tiny fraction of what the unicycle does, but it still manages
    to become unstuck on a fairly regular basis. I don't think I'd want to
    risk a unicycle crashing to earth that often...

    Phil

    --
    phil

    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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  10. phil said:

    I'd rather prune the wastrels now rather than when it starts to hit the
    fan.

    Wow! Now that's what I call a metaphor!:p

    (As someone once said, the cure for a mixed metaphor is to ask the
    person to draw a picture of what he has just said.)😉

    Suction cups: glaziers use special suction cup handles for carrying
    large sheets of glass. They place them on the glass, activate a
    trigger mechanism of some sort (presumably a valve/cam?) and carry the
    glass. The suction is then released by activating the trigger. As
    sheets of glass for shop windows etc. can weigh quite a lot, I dare say
    one of those suction cups would support a unicycle.

    As for getting rid of unicycles: unicycles are like books, easy to
    collect and impossible to throw away. Their resale value is often
    minimal unless you know someone who wants one.

    Here's a serious idea: any wheel size will fit into a large frame. You
    can even put a 20 inch wheel in a Coker frame - it just looks a bit out
    of proportion. Why not strip the 20 down and pack the frame and seat
    away. Detached from the wheel, they will be easy to store. The wheel
    will fit easily under the sink, or behind the toilet, and if you need a
    20, it takes 5 mins to swap the wheel with your MUni.

    Failing that: eBay?

    --
    Mikefule

    So, do you ride with a club?

    No, but I carry a heavy spanner.
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  11. Mikefule said:

    Wow! Now that's what I call a metaphor!:p

    Mixing metaphors is great fun, I feel like a kid in a china shop! 🙂

    Phil

    --
    phil

    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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  12. phil said:

    I feel like a kid in a china shop! 🙂

    Phil

    LOL😄

    A friend was talking to me the other day about something a mutual
    friend had done that had caused a bit of upset. She said, "But she'd
    know that would be like a red bull to you."

    --
    Mikefule

    So, do you ride with a club?

    No, but I carry a heavy spanner.
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  13. I thought to the solution of only keeping the wheel set too.

    But if you get rid of a uni, and counted it in the related post, don't
    forget to deduct it from the uni count 🙄

    Manuel

    --
    manu2015
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  14. Right.

    Does anyone want a 20" trials uni?

    Phil

    --
    phil

    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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  15. Me, me, me.
    What kind is it?

    Cathy

    --
    cathwood

    Run to the bedroom in the suitcase on the left you'll find my favourite
    axe;
    Don't look so frightened this is just a passing phase, one of my bad
    days - Pink Floyd.

    http://www.chuckingandtwirling.co.uk
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  16. It started life as a Nimbus 2 trials unicycle; then I stuck a KH splined
    hub and 140mm cranks on it. KH seat, pinned pedals, characterful
    scratches on the left crank from me learning to crank-grab on it.

    The cranks are ones with nubs on, but I can't say I've ever had a
    problem with them.

    It's probably complete with lots of cobwebs and garage floor dust at
    the moment. I will remind myself as to its condition tomorrow, but
    other than the superficial scratches on the cranks I think it's in good
    nick.

    Phil

    --
    phil

    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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  17. I'm interested, especially if the unicycle can already crank grab!
    PM me with the details if you think we could do business.

    Cathy

    --
    cathwood

    Run to the bedroom in the suitcase on the left you'll find my favourite
    axe;
    Don't look so frightened this is just a passing phase, one of my bad
    days - Pink Floyd.

    http://www.chuckingandtwirling.co.uk
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  18. phil said:

    I don't do trials a n y m o r e

    Ah, I see. So, you are saying that your unicycle interests vary over
    time? Hmmm...

    Also, don't ask your barber if you need a haircut and don't ask
    unicyclists if you should get rid of unicycles.

    Edit: P.S. - Are you giving it away? Because if so, I may wish to
    change my answer.

    --
    uni57

    tim, catboy, james_potter, ____, and theo are my main man. but tyler is
    my 'internet brother' (http://tinyurl.com/e2xt9). don't mess with my
    little bro'.

    vote for mossberg.
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  19. phil said:

    It seems silly to -not- have a 20".
    Phil

    worst reason I've ever heard for not wanting to get rid of something
    you don't need. Whoever said it is quite right -getting rid of stuf is
    far, far harder than aquiring it. My feeling is you will feel better
    (your whole life will feel cleaner) with it gone. As for storing the
    frame, it seems like a good way of reducing the uni to even more
    useless junk.

    In any case, if that is the biggest thing you have to wory about, I'd
    love to be in your shoes 🙂

    --
    jenmichael2000
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  20. uni57 said:

    Ah, I see. So, you are saying that your unicycle interests vary over
    time? Hmmm...

    When I was young and foolish I'd be out there riding ledges, dropping
    walls, leaving pedal pin marks on benches and getting whinged at by
    grannies.

    Now I am slightly older (and, probably, slightly more foolish 🙂) I
    just don't care for that any more. I have the means to travel now; I'd
    much rather be on the muni somewhere nice than some ratty bit of town
    with a few walls in it. Yeovil isn't the nicest place for riding around
    town...

    Phil

    --
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    "Cattle Prods solve most of life's little problems."
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