I saw someone on a unicycle today
#26
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#27
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Heh, yeah...unicycle...no big deal- I rode one when I was a kid. Penny farthing...now THAT would be a sight! (I wish you guys would stop with all of these unicycle threads- every time i see such a thread, I get the yen to get one!)
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#30
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Thanks for posting the awesome pics!
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I read the Wikipedia article on the Penny-Farthings, and they were/are actually quite dangerous for flipping your forward and landing on your face. Apparently a lot of people died riding those things when they couldn't get stopped and flipped forward. Some riders took to putting their legs over the handlebars when going down a hill so they'd be ready to land on their feet. The main issue with the design is that you're basically sitting very nearly directly over the front axle with a high center of gravity.
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I read the Wikipedia article on the Penny-Farthings, and they were/are actually quite dangerous for flipping your forward and landing on your face. Apparently a lot of people died riding those things when they couldn't get stopped and flipped forward. Some riders took to putting their legs over the handlebars when going down a hill so they'd be ready to land on their feet. The main issue with the design is that you're basically sitting very nearly directly over the front axle with a high center of gravity.
#34
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There used to be a Unicycling subforum here many eons ago. There's even a thing called "Mountain Unicycling" - imagine that!
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Can't imagine stopping, or going up a hill, or down a hill, or over a pothole. AND not wearing a helmet.
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Imagine getting your kid a bike when only Penny Farthings existed? "Tomorrow we'll take the training wheels off, Son!" [Next day: Kid goes through the garage door and ends up mangled]. They could have charities, like Bikes For Your Enemy's Kids".....
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Why did they make those penny farthings so dang tall? I know it's a bit more efficient to have a larger wheel but in the interest of convenience & safety I think I'd rather ride one which isn't so dang tall.
Oh and in regards to unicycles, I think I read or heard somewhere that the taller the unicycle, the easier it is to balance. Which makes sense because it's easier to balance something that's fairly long on your hand than it is to balance something which is a lot shorter.
Oh and in regards to unicycles, I think I read or heard somewhere that the taller the unicycle, the easier it is to balance. Which makes sense because it's easier to balance something that's fairly long on your hand than it is to balance something which is a lot shorter.
#38
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The tall ones probably are easier to balance, but only after you get on them. I saw one performer that more or less ran up the side of a tall unicycle till he got to the saddle, but he was a rare bird, indeed.
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They didn't have gears (i.e. not even a single chainring and cog) so the virtual "gear ratio" was determined by the size of the wheel. Smaller wheel would give you a lower ratio, and a lower overall maximum speed. It really makes ya appreciate how much of a leap there was in the short space between the invention of the Farthing and the safety bicycle.
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Farthing
I wasn't going to say anything, until the penny farthing got mentioned. Been looking for a unicycle off/on for a few months until I found an adult pogo stick. It was fun for a while, but certainly not as practical as you would hope for a trip down to the corner package store. It's hanging on a hook right now and still no unicycle. In any case, my interests shifted. I looked to penny farthings. Worksman Cycles sells them new here: Antique High Wheel Bikes from Worksman Cycles
If I pull the trigger on bike number 6 (7?), my wife'll hurt me real bad, but maybe a Worksman might pique someones interest? It's like a unicycle with a training wheel!
If I pull the trigger on bike number 6 (7?), my wife'll hurt me real bad, but maybe a Worksman might pique someones interest? It's like a unicycle with a training wheel!
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Car dependency is a tax.