Invention of the Future Contest

- I think more brands would raise competition, lower prices and
creating new idaea (such as the aluminum KH and Onza Frames).
- More riders and better media coverage- most important
- Parts that are more redibly availible, along with more "custom" type
parts/unicycles without a "custom price
- Cheaper geared unis
- more/better pros

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DK - Team YAMS Member

-Hunter-
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Above all else, I want to see that unicycling doesn't reach the point
where the world's best riders don't have the time or rather inclination
to give advice to beginners, and others less skilled than they are.
That's one of the things I love most about this 'community'. Not an
invention for the future, sorry.

Andrew

--
andrew_carter - Learning to unicycle...

*http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/andrew*
http://www.unicycles.com.au
unicycling tips and tutorials - http://www.unicycle.2ya.com
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andrew_carter said:

* Not an invention for the future, sorry.
Andrew *

An invention in direction for the future of unicycling, very acceptable.

in·ven·tion ( P ) Pronunciation Key (n-vnshn)
n.
The act or process of inventing: used a technique of her own invention.

A new device, method, or process developed from study and
experimentation: the phonograph, an invention attributed to Thomas
Edison.
A mental fabrication, especially a falsehood.
Skill in inventing; inventiveness: “the invention and sweep of the
staging” (John Simon).
Music. A short composition developing a single theme contrapuntally.
A discovery; a finding.

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I'd love to see industries created in this sport. Where companies would
have sponsorships with their team. Sounds a lot like skateboarding? If
you take a skateboarder and find out how long it took to actually do
something, unicycling is right there as well. So why are so many people
skating, instead of riding? Beginning... We should get a word out there
on how easy it is, somehow. The more riders the more demand for
unicycles. It would really boost the production of this sport. And i'm
pretty sure bedford and unicycle.com would love the profit increase.
That's my word.

-Shaun Johanneson

--
unifreak7 - Team Hazard

Mindless Films
www.geocities.com/mindless_films
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I'd like to see splined cranks and hubs become the norm. I remember
when cottered cranks is all you could get; we're moving in the right
direction.
It would be nice if Torker started selling their DX hub independently
from their unicycle; that way, more people could afford splined parts.

--
paco - Co-Founder of the PacoGild Movement

Every time I see this thread I wonder what happened to Paco's back.
-John Childs

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1: Standard quick-release bearing caps. Come on guys, this one should
be easy.

2: MUni shoes. Stiff sole, hiking boot rubber, reinforced toe, very
light tread pattern to allow foot adjustments, smooth inner heel piece
to not catch the crank. Some mountain bike shoes come close, but they
usually have too much tread and a tread cut-out for SPDs that don't work
for use on metal pinned pedals.

--
tholub - Kinetic Sculptor
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Shock absorber cranks to save your knees while doing big drops.

--
harper - TANKED at GASWORKS

-Greg Harper

B L U E S H I F T

"My world view has come crashing down like a drunk clown on a giraffe,
riding through a cactus patch..." -evil-nick on "Entry of the
Gladiators"
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andrew_carter said:

*Above all else, I want to see that unicycling doesn't reach the point
where the world's best riders don't have the time or rather
inclination to give advice to beginners, and others less skilled than
they are. That's one of the things I love most about this
'community'. Not an invention for the future, sorry.

Andrew *

I keep thinking about this. Kris is a great guy, it seems to me from
reading his posts and watching his movies. He's the top of our sport, or
close, but he still does workshops for people, etc.

I have tomsey on AIM. He's up there too, but hey, I have him on AIM! i
could talk to him if I wanted to. I wonder how many people have tony
hawk or chad muska on their instant messanger. I doubt it's very many,
and if it is, they're sure not mediocre skaters from some random other
country.

That's what I like about unicycling. It's so new that we haven't really
found limits yet, our pros aren't all rich and arrogant or anything.
They're still people who post here, or don't. They're still PEOPLE in
the eyes of all the other unicyclists.

--
Fuego - Unicycle Ninja

"Unicycling is more about the center of concentration than the center of
balance."

'OneWheelNinjaSquad' (http://gallery.unicyclist.com/OneWheelNinjaSquad)
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unifreak7 said:

*So why are so many people skating, instead of riding?*

Three main reasons I can think of:

1. Perception of easiness. Anyone can get on a skateboard and go within
minutes. Everybody knows this, so there is little hesitation on the part
of parents deciding to buy one for the kids. This is also connected
to...

2. They're cheaper than unicycles.

3. Also, they're a lot smaller, so you can bring them with you in the
classroom (if allowed), on the bus, in your luggage, etc.

4. Lastly, there is an image thing associated with skateboarding, and
some riders are probably in it more for that than the actual riding.

5. Last but not least, no barrier to entry. This ties back to #1. You
don't have to dedicate yourself and "try really hard" to be able to roll
down the driveway on one.

But...

Skateboards are mostly for kids. There are very few people using
skateboards outside the age range of about 10 to 25. Unicycling has a
much wider audience, I think. To be honest though, as unicycling gets
more mainstream, I think it will be mostly with that general age group
as well.

Inventions:

I like both of Tom Holub's ideas. Here are some of my own:

- Better bearings. Unlike most machines or vehicles, unicycles put a
tremendous amount of twisting force through the bearings. The bearings
on unicycles, as far as I know, are not built to be used in unicycles,
and are probably weak in the side-to-side twisting direction. I notice
this the most on my Coker, where I lean on a long handle, and all the
torque in the whole frame passes through those cheap little bearings.
It's no wonder we wear them out even though we don't ride fast or weigh
that much.

- No more new rims or tires the same size as the Coker. The Coker tires
are great, and the airfoil rim is also. If people want to make new rims
& tires, how about one for us unicyclists? I'd like a 42" tire, about
1.75" in size. Not too skinny, because the ride would be too bumpy.

- A better seat and handle system. Your seat post should be a T-bar. The
seat will clamp onto the top part of the T (which runs front to back).
The handle will be at the front. All the yanking and pressing down in
the world will no longer kill your seat, so the seat can be much thinner
and at least two thirds lighter. The front bar can also have places for
your computer, water bottle, lights, etc. The back bar can have a bumper
on it, so the seat doesn't have to.

--
johnfoss - The wilder Wilder

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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johnfoss said:

*- A better seat and handle system. Your seat post should be a T-bar.
The seat will clamp onto the top part of the T (which runs front to
back). The handle will be at the front. All the yanking and pressing
down in the world will no longer kill your seat, so the seat can be
much thinner and at least two thirds lighter. The front bar can also
have places for your computer, water bottle, lights, etc. The back bar
can have a bumper on it, so the seat doesn't have to. *

This would save some expense for beginners also.
I remember my seat on my beginner Uni,,, I couldn't find a replacement
without buying a whole new Uni.
But, that was in the 'old days' 😄

A T-bar with under support .. like the one someone made for thier
handle...
(don't remember who that was ... but he posted a pic here somewhere )

--
DigitalDave - Ðîgï†å||¥ ËñhÂÑ€èÐ

'nf7-s ~ xp2400mobile'
(http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=21988)
'20,124 3dm01' (http://service.futuremark.com/compare?2k1=8399731)
my will to live was stronger than my will to die. - iggy pop
that which does not kill me, makes me stronger. - friedrich nietzsche
1899
if it's popular, then what's it got to do with us? - mens room wall
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I'd like to see to see cheap, but reliable, adjustable cranks with a
range of 125-175 mm for unicycles.

Whilst I'm OK with more splined models appearing, I hope that square
tapers remain easily available as they're mechanically simpler and work
fine for non-extreme riding.

--
onewheeldave - Semi Skilled Unicyclist

"He's also been known to indulge in a spot of flame juggling - but it's
the Muni that really fires him up."

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I would like to see unicycle hardware get closer to bike hardware in
terms of compatibility. In order of importance, IMHO:

1. ISIS unicycle hubs.
2. Rail type seat attachment becoming more prevalent.
3. Increase in seatpost OD to 27.2 as most common.
4. Aluminum, Carbon, and titanium frames becoming more common and
readily available.

--
TheObieOne3226 - SWAT

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'SWAT webpage' (singlewheeledattackteam.1hwy.com)
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'Sixsixone' (http://www.sixsixone.com)

"Obie is definately a trend setter, I got in to unicycling because of
him, and came here because of him" - KJ-52

"try not to annoy the great Obie, for he is better than us." - Murde
Mental

*disclaimer: the above message was not intended to offend anyone. if you
are offended i can take no responsibility for my actions because i don't
feel like it. also you are reading an internet newsgroup where not
everyone will share your same views and beliefs, be able to take
criticism and post/read threads at your own risk.*
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i'd like to see more people being sponsored by unicycle companies (kris
holm unicycles, quax, onza etc.) and more people making full length
videos.

(what are ISIS cranks i know that's what the koxx unicycles are, but how
are they different from other cranks like profile or kh/onza)

--
General Dibbles - street unicyclist

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I'd like to see adjustable cranks like these be available. The cranks
are from this thread: 'Adjustable crank idea'
(http://tinyurl.com/2plgy). And the CAD drawing is from 'Steve Howard's
Adjustable Crank Ideas gallery' (http://gallery.unicyclist.com/cranks).

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| Attachment filename: sh_eccentric_adjustable_cranks.jpeg |
|Download attachment: http://www.unicyclist.com/attachment/291291|
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john_childs - Guinness Mojo

john_childs (att) hotmail (dott) com
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I have two ideas, but i dont have any pictures becuase i dont know how
to put them on here. here it goes.

One-Retractble cranks. such as a smaller person trying to use a coker
or some other large wheel unicycle. the crank could retract and go back
to normal. so when you hit the bottom of your revolution your crank will
be a lot smaller than when you are at the top so you wouldnt have to
reach down so far.

Two- Kinda of cool idea i think. What you do is put like a platform
running the same way as the tire right above it so when your pedaling
you wont notice it. and hardcore freestlye riders could do like a
sideways wheel walk and jump on those little platforms and coast in a
new cool way. i have no idea if this would work.

Accually i dont know if either of those would work so if anyone could
tell me one way or the other that would rock.

Chase

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Unitik908 - Level 5

All hail the exhaulted Sigpoose, for he is forever king...

R.I.P Unibiker
R.I.P Gazzaloddi
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The second idea would probably not work too well, because it would get
in the way for most wheel walking variations. When I sideways wheel
walk, my driving foot gets right up to the frame fairly often, so with a
platform in there, it wouldn't be possible to sideways wheel walk. It
might be possible, however, to jump up onto them from a Julien Monney
style sideways pedalling.

I definitely agree with Andrew Carter; it's great that the pros in this
sport are still willing to help beginning riders. They're not just in it
for the money, unlike most of the pros in almost every other sport. I
hope it stays that way.

--
jsm - Dark and stormy stand-up wheel walk

Help edit the Unicyclopedia!
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Add me to the list of people who would like to see more experts giving
their time in helping beginners. I believe that one of these reasons
Minneapolis has the number of skilled riders that it does is due to the
fact the the Minneapolis club members go into schools, churches, etc and
teach classes.

--
Jethro - Monk

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I'd like to see more meets.

People like Jess Riegel and John Foss and Nathan Hoover seem to have
small California meets all the time. Human interaction is much better
than the internet, and it would be nice if people could make an active
attempt to organise small meets and advertise them to all
invited/interested.

Jag and I have talked about this several times on the phone. An I have
been contacting riders in my area about maybe having a Nevada Muni
Weekend.

Oh, Aaaaaaand:

To those who have it, phone calls. I've been blessed with free long
distance, so I talk to riders all over America around two times a week.
Phones are sooo much nicer than the internet too, they allow for actual
communication.

More full-legnth quality movies sold.
I have to say, although Universe2 and Spaced Out and all the others are
extremely entertaining, they do get old after 50 times. people producing
DVD's every other month or so would be soooo cool. I give props to
people like Tomsey and Brian MacK. who are fufilling this one.

As far as inventions go:

Much stronger(and cheaper) pedals. Crankarms are now up to par with our
severe abuse, now the pedals need to be. Snafu's and Jimmy C's are even
too weak for super abuse over time. And I really hate the fact that some
pedals range in the $100 range.

Hybrid Saddles
I know that one coker rider has combined foam, air, and gel. I'd like to
see somebody start to make these, and not throw a huge labor charge
ontop of it. I was able to airseat my Miyata saddle for 20 bucks. I
think Air/gel conversions for long rides would be super nice to see
produced from someone.

--
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'I have the amazing power to talk to cats! =^.^='
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"andrew_carter" <[email hidden]>
wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Above all else, I want to see that unicycling doesn't reach the point
where the world's best riders don't have the time or rather inclination
to give advice to beginners, and others less skilled than they are.
That's one of the things I love most about this 'community'. Not an
invention for the future, sorry.

As a novice, (still !!) that is the thing I find most prized thing about
this group, the willingness of every level to join in and share. It is one
reason that I hope unicycling does not get too big, as I fear the closeness
of the experts might well evaporate. Not their fault....market forces.
The newsgroup needs to stay on topic and interesting, whether posts be from
experts or from someone just buying their first uni. Once it fill up with
masses of posts, then I feel many of those who regularly read it avidly
now, may no longer have the time and may disappear.
Just a worry I have, I LIKE being in a minority.

Nao