Coker article

Recently Dan Leff made reference (in the thread “revs per minute”
http://groups.google.com/groups?q=%2B"wally+watts"&hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF8&oe=
UTF8&scoring=d&selm=dan.4e6ga%40timelimit.unicyclist.com&rnum=1) to someone
who was planning on writing an article on the history of big wheel unicycles
and unicycling. That is me, but actually my intention is to write an article
on the Coker. I plan, however, to include some background and history on big
wheel unicycling in general.

I am currently in the process of making notes, putting together an outline,
and trying to collect relevant materials that are relatively easy to come
by.

As Dan suggested I will be contacting a number of people. As I don’t have
the time or money to travel, much of the research will be done by email,
some by phone and I plan on making a few trips to the New York Public
Library to dig up some materials.

I will soon(ish) be posting here a questionaire for Coker owners. I hope to
do more extensive follow ups with some individuals after I see the results
of the questionaires. I have several questions for John Drummond and Roger
Davies and I will be contacting the Coker Tire Co.

My first question is this:

Reference has been made here recently and in the more distant past to On One
Wheel and USA Newsletter articles on the round-the-world trip of Wally Watts
and the North American tour of Pietro Biondo. My best information is that
Wally’s trip took place from 1976 to 1978 and was covered in issues during
that period and that Pietro’s trip was covered in On One Wheel during the
Winter or Spring of 1984.

Can anyone tell me the exact dates of the issues covering these trips? I’d
like to order them. Or even better if you have them, can I arrange with you
to get copies?

Also, to anyone who has newspaper clippings of big wheel and/or Coker rides,
I’d love to get ahold of copies.

I have set up an email account for this project:

CokerArticle@aol.com

Needless to say, any information that I request on this newsgroup I am happy
to have posted here as well as for my own use. I do ask, however, that the
email address above be copied to make my own organization of the material
easier.

Optimistically, I hope to have something by say, December. Realistically it
may take a year or so. I think this project should be very educational for
me, e.g. as I’ve stated I know virtually nothing about the mechnical
workings of unicycles and will have to learn a minimum about this, and I
hope to produce something worth reading.

Thanks in advance for any assistance provided,
Raphael Lasar
Matawan, NJ