Who knew other cyclist had so much contempt for Unicyclists?
I was talking w/a mountain biker friend of mine today, and long story short, I told them that me and several other MUni riders were going to be at our local mt. bike trail in May. (There was going to be a race the day after we were scheduled to have our MUni rendevous, but it got cancelled because of scheduling conflicts with another race). My friend said it was good that the race was postponed because the MTBers would be ârunning all over the unicyclistâ! 
I know from experience that a unicycle cant keep up w/any good mtber, but the disgust in my friends voice made me realize that this is probably how alot, if not most of them think! What do you guys think? 
The majority of our local mtbrâs embrace us. There hold the art of MUni in high regard and stop to chat often. Some even extend invitations for us to show up at racing venues. There are those that hold the title of âEliteist B@st@rdâ though and you just have to recognize them for who they are.
Youâre pretty much validating what your mtber friend said right there.
I think MTBers do run all over us but in my experience theyâre quite positive about it, I mean who doesnât like overtaking ppl? Of course there are exceptions, a super fast unicyclist can keep up with most bikers (but no âgood mtbersâ!)
Most people that I know think uniâs are stupid and meant for circus folkâŚ
however, whenever I actually get on it and ride, most people freeze with amazementâŚ
so far I think only a few have pointed and laughed, but most of them are just amazedâŚ
In my entire life, I have only met 1 other person that can actually ride a uni ⌠lol
I have always had good experience with bmxers they have always been well cool, but the other day at exeter skate park even when I was riding the bmxers were rite dick heads hummin the circus tune n laughin thinkin there hard, any one wana get a possy together n kick some ass lol
Im not VALIDATING anything, especially the attitude and contempt that was shown. Anyone who does MUni knows that a unicycle just isnt designed to be as efficient as a Bike.(simple physics) but I hope that more people will embrace Unis on trails in the future!
A very good uni-rider might indeed keep up with an average MTBer, depending on the terrain, average uni-rider - no chance. You canât compare the two disciplines. Itâs like trying to compare a boxer with a wrestler, a soccer player with a tennis player, a condor with a falcon âŚ
âContemptâ and âdisgustâ are rather harsh words. I donât think most bicyclists feel that way about us. They probably donât take us very seriously and may laugh or chuckle behind our backs.
For the most part, I think there is a cordial âget alongâ factor between the two groups. When we MUni, we are always happy to get out of the way of someone on two wheels. They generally do travel faster than us. We tease them about having a âtraining wheelâ and they tease us about having lost a wheel.
Face it, we do this because it is different. You have to put up with a certain amount of âoffâ remarks if you want to be different. However, the vast majority of remarks are positive or intended to be positive. Even the âwhereâs your other wheelâ comments which non-riders think are funny. They are acknowledging your accomplisment. Accept it as a compliment.
I havent been talked to by bikers while riding any trails, cause when i muni, i dont go on âtrailsâ if the hill is step, ill ride it, if i see something that might work, i go for it, or im usally at a construction site riding down the huge gravel hills =p
I have, while doing trials and street, been ridiculed by the bikers and skaters, cause at first they only saw me doing one-footed rifing, kinda of warming up, then when im gapping the same stuff the skaters are doing, and unlike them, i was landing it, they ended up just leaving, which kinda sucked, cause then i felt lonely lol. Another time there were two bikers there, with trials bikes, first two ive ever seen in spokane, and they did a trials line, but on the bigger drop, the guy wrecked, so i did the same line, completed it, and kept riding, next thing i knew the two bikers rode away.
So i guess im the one riding all over them =p
good talking
Has anyone ever out done, or does anyone know someone who has âoutdoneâ(speed,hills, jumps,spins, whatever) a mt. biker, roadie, skater, bmx, etc. I would love to hear about it!
I guess I feel a bit wounded by my friends response! We have Mtb together for years and we will always be friends, but I just feel somewhat dejected!(self pity)!
the mtbers around me love me and take me to all there downhill races. The only other bikers that i have found hate us are trials bikers but most are âeleatist bastardsâ.
Mostly the mtbâers that I have met havenât realised what unicycles can do. Then I show them one of the videos I have on my PPC and they change their minds.
Cathy
Why didnât I think of that?
I would have liked to say that I did some fantastic riding and showed them what unicyclists could really do; but it wouldnât be true. I would probably just reinforce their stereotype as I fell over or failed to mount the beast.
Cathy
I like that idea too. I have shown a couple of people the Universe DVD, but I havent gotten the chance to show any MTBers! Thanks Cathy!
Lets we have person X who is reasonably in shape. Person X will be faster on a bike offroad, on road, naked, etc than we would be doing the same things on a unicycle. Unicycles are SLOWER than bikes, PERIOD. Donât take it personaly. Thatâs like being mad that bikes are slower than motorcycles.
Iâd say your friend was upset because he imagined unicycles getting in the way on singletrack, etc. Guess what, they do. Itâs not a problem if the unicyclers get out of the way when being passed, however, like any smart unicycler would. Your friend is just assuming the worst case scenario.
i have passed bikers going up hill on my coker and muni. also ryan atkins who pro or expert at motorama a few years back. he beat out some or the best trials bikers in the states
i was out a week or so ago in the forest doing some natural trials lines that i had found and i saw a few mtn bikers and they stopped to chat for a bit. i showed them some of my stuff and they seemed quite impressed the only thing that was even close to negative was that if i came when it was wet to try to avoind landing from drops on the acctual trail because it leaves big pot holes in that trail. thay asked very politely so i was happy to oblige becuase i kno a good hard drop could leave a sizable mark in that triail.
More people embrace us on the trails every day. Most of them.
Red, you have to lighten up and let some people react wrong, because they donât know enough about us. When you actually meet mountain bikers on the trail, theyâre almost always impressed and complimentary. They have to see us to believe us.
I donât think of us as âtwo different groupsâ either. We are all trail users, we are all cyclists. Our cycles are just a little different. Like fixed-gear bikers, we choose the path of a bigger challenge. But mostly weâre there for the same reasons as the bikers, and getting the same enjoyment out of riding there. We are much more alike than we are different.
In a bike racing situation, however, a group of unicyclists on the trail would get in the way, and could even be a safety hazard. âRealâ races only happen on closed trails, so hopefully you would be shooed off if a race was actually going on.
Bike vs. unicycle:
All things being equal, such as rider skill and fitness, the bike will win almost every time. By a lot. Bikes are faster. Especially downhill. Unicycles are more fun.