Quote:
Originally Posted by IanHighfield
unigeezer: When I saw the thread mentioning mountain bike unicycle I thought "how foolish can this be?"
Then I watched it. It was amazing. I had no idea how able a rider could be on rough terrain. I almost think in some tight spots a uni might have advantages. I didn't think a rider could drop off rocks and do the stuff I watched on the video. And he wasn't wearing a clown suit! I feel bad for making an earlier crack about unis needing another wheel.
One technical question: I noticed in places the rider has to hold the saddle horn to help control the direction a bit. Has anyone experimented with an extension out front for a longer lever to control with? or is this just a thing to get injured on should you go off the front in a fall or emergency dismount?
Overall I was more impressed with this one bit of uni video than all the regular bike footage I've ever seen. That rider just looked natural and very able among the rocks.
It was not what I expected. And I like the cat too. I'm a cat person.
Ian
P.S. Now I can't tease uni-folk anymore now that I've seen one and been blown away. Have to go round up my recumbent friends for laughs.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by IanHighfield
geezer: You've got me thinking uni design. About the aforementioned handle off the front for control. I figure it has to be a safety issue. How about attaching a small arm to the seat post just below the seat that is mounted with a hinge so that if you let go it drops away. You'd still have a lateral control device that only moved up and down. Down being where you want it to go in a pinch. The thing would look a tad phallic, but what the hell, you're way out in the woods.
This is great. Three minutes into my unicycle career and I'm making design changes.
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Thanks for your thougtful comments Ian! The "lift" handle as it's called, is there mainly to stabilize yourself while riding over rough terrain, and/or hopping, jumping, and doing drops. It doesn't help navigate direction-steer at all. Some people have used longer "touring-type" handles for offroad riding, but not for really technical terrain, as it would just be too restrictive and add weight.
I also ride a 36" unicycle for long distance riding, and that uni *does* have a touring handle bar. It's used mostly for resting on, and also to alleviate some discomfort in the crotch area, by gently pushing down on it while riding, which takes some weight off the saddle area. Here's a pic of my 36er next to my regular 24" MUni:
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