I was chatting with a friend and he asked whether there are known examples of people who have learned to unicycle without first knowning how to ride a bicycle? Has anyone here done that or know, preferably first hand, of anyone who has?
Also, I know that Anthony Soumiatin does a performance that includes the ultimate wheel (Anthony Soumiatin: Ultimate Performer, OOW, March 2000, pg 15) , but does anyone do performing, professionally or in competition, using a BC? (A BC is an ultimate wheel with the pedals set both in the down position and for coasting only, i.e. you don’t pedal at all - like in the comic BC - as best as I can describe it for those who haven’t seen one).
we have a psychology lecturer from one of the local universities at the juggling club who cannot ride a unicycle
it’s been a bit of a pet project for me to help him learn how to ride the uni
he’s been furiously busy recently but we hope to get going by the end of the month
i’ll keep u posted
I understand that John and Amy Drummond’s youngest son learned to ride a 12" uni before learning to ride a bicycle and I’ve heard of at least one other incident of the same but can’t put a name to it right now.
Question on the BC wheel: I assume the BC in the term BC Wheel has something to do with the comic strip. When we were introduced to unicycling, I first heard of the name of the wheel as the Impossible Wheel. What is the proper name or is there one?
We had a three year old girl on the Panther Pride team that learned on a 12
inch before a two wheeler. She moved on to a 16 inch before she learned to ride
the bike. I’m not sure when she learned the bike.
After practice she would go home and ride her tricycle.
Barb K.
The BC wheel and Impossible wheel are two names for the same thing.
A wheel (front wheel of bicycle - with hub and axle) with both pedals BELOW
the axle. People usually roll the wheel, run and jump on it.
The Ultimate wheel has the pedals in the same position as a unicycle, one on
either side of centre (center in U.S.).
Hope this helps to explain the difference.
Darren
JJuggle wrote:
> I was chatting with a friend and he asked whether there are known
> examples of people who have learned to unicycle without first knowning
> how to ride a bicycle? Has anyone here done that or know, preferably
> first hand, of anyone who has?
>
> Also, I know that Anthony Soumiatin does a performance that includes the
> ultimate wheel (Anthony Soumiatin: Ultimate Performer, OOW, March 2000,
> pg 15) , but does anyone do performing, professionally or in
> competition, using a BC? (A BC is an ultimate wheel with the pedals set
> both in the down position and for coasting only, i.e. you don’t pedal at
> all - like in the comic BC - as best as I can describe it for those who
> haven’t seen one).
>
> Thanks,
> Raphael Lasar
> Matawan, NJ
>
> –
> JJuggle - Working on it
>
> There is no way to peace. Peace is the way. – A.J. Muste
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> JJuggle’s Profile: http://www.unicyclist.com/profile/24
> View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/20483
The name “BC Wheel” is taken from the cartoon BC as seen in the picture above. As mentioned in previous posts, this contraption is also known as the “Impossible Wheel.” I believe the creator of the BC cartoon intended the meaning to be “Before Christ” as the cartoon is mostly about the ventures of cavemen/women and the prehistoric creatures of their time.
I’ve seen John Foss use a BC wheel in performances and this last summer Josue Barreto of Puerto Rico introduced a one footed BC wheel at UNICON. Josue made a brace that held his leg.
The simplest form of BC wheel that can be made is to simply take the front wheel off a bike and screw on some axle pegs. This type of BC wheel much harder than one that has the pegs lowered. Click here to check out Tom Miller’s BC Wheel design breakdown.
Kaleigh is still about, she was at Mostyn and we might see here at a few
conventions this year.
Roger
The UK’s Unicycle Source
----- Original Message -----
From: “Danny Colyer” <danny@jugglersafety.net>
Newsgroups: rec.sport.unicycling
To: <rsu@unicycling.org>
Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2002 8:17 PM
Subject: Re: Couple of questions
> JJuggle asked:
> > … whether there are known
> > examples of people who have learned to unicycle without first knowning
> > how to ride a bicycle?
>
> The obvious answer (at least to any British unicyclist) is Kaleigh
Grainger.
> IIRC she’s now 16 and still can’t ride a bike.
>
> Anyone know what level Kaleigh’s at now? I remember she and Roger shared
a
> gold medal for one of the artistic events at Unicon in Beijing.
>
> –
> Danny Colyer (remove safety to reply) ( http://www.juggler.net/danny )
> Recumbent cycle page: http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/recumbents/
> “He who dares not offend cannot be honest.” - Thomas Paine
>
>
>
Thanks all for this and other responses. Is Kaleigh making a political statement? I have to believe that anyone who learned first to ride a unicycle could sit on a bike and pick it up within minutes. Not that there’s any reason she needs to, mind you, it’s just that it seems deliberately contrarian (bless her if so) like someone who doesn’t watch TV (bless their souls as well). (No comments, Bruce!)
John, is this true? How did you use it? Are there descriptions of this performance somewhere?
John’s use of a BC wheel in a performance by Dustin Kelm.
Once upon a time there was this guy who did lots of cool unicycle stuff and sometimes he liked to ride a contraption called a BC wheel. He did this by holding the pegs on either side of the wheel and giving the spokes a good flick and spin with his fingers. Once the wheel was spinning Mr. Foss would set it down and run after the wheel which is now rolling away. At just the right moment Mr. Foss (The Uni-Cyclone) would jump into the air and land on the pegs of the BC wheel. After a successful mount he would roll in smaller and smaller circles until he got to a point where he could spin around 180degrees and roll backwards before dismounting or doing another 180 and continuing forwards. After (or maybe before, my brain is a bit foggy) he would demonstrate the gyroscopic properties of a BC wheel by giving the wheel a swift spin and then balancing it on the tip of his finger all the while letting the wheel rotate under his arm and around his body. the end
