Gallery of vintage unicycle paraphernalia

hell-on-wheel · January 24, 2024, 5:47pm

Got any unicycle-related keepsakes from a bygone era? Pull them out of storage and post a pic and description/story. Points if you are the original owner!

Before YouTube, if you wanted to see unicycling on a screen, you had to get it on VHS/DVD!

The Hell on Wheel gang makes an appearance in Brian Mackenzie’s “Training Wheel Not Required”.

Eric_aus_Chemnitz · January 24, 2024, 7:56pm

The Unicon DVD I purchased from Thomas Gossmann (Gossi) at the very first Ajata Freestyle Convention in 2013. I have no special story on the DVD itself, but on the convention where I got it. By that time, we participated over a time period of two seasons as extras (background actors) in the musical comedy Das Feuerwerk in our opera. We were on the stage with unicycles and juggling gear. The convention started on Friday afternoon. But we had a stage performance in the opera that evening, and the location of the convention was more than 400 km away. So we arranged to start at 4 in the morning in order to be there in time for the first workshops on Saturday at 10 o’clock. But as we started that night, we had terribly dense fog and could only see around 30 to 50 m for the first hour of driving or so. We somehow managed to be there just shy of 10. Then, one of my first workshop was spins. I was told, that my cranks were too long for spins. I had 125s as everyone in my club, as this were the stock cranks when we purchased the unis. I was given a uni with 75s and fell off at the first tries. But then, luckily, someone sold me some 100s and it was a great convention. Here is a video of it (find me at 5:33).

The Kris Holm VHS I ordered in the mid 2000s from Canada via a Friend who, by that time, regularly ordered MTB Films from there, that weren’t available in Germany. I saw both of Kris’ appearances in the New World Disorder Series back then and while being a unicyclist since 1997, this was the first time I recognized that there are other forms of unicycling than the gym riding and stage performances (far away from modern freestyle) we did in our sports club. Since it being from Canada, I always had a hard time playing this VHS. I tried for days until I was able to see the movie on our VHS recorder (Panasonic, for German market) and TV (German brand) in color, with the right color tone, with sound, with a stable image and without stripes or snow on the screen. The solution was to use another cable and another input on the TV and some really weird combination of the NTSC/PAL/SECAM/MESECAM setting on both of the devices. But I absolutely loved it.

hell-on-wheel · January 24, 2024, 9:55pm

I forgot I used to have One Tired Guy as well but my roommate’s VCR ate the tape.

johnfoss · January 31, 2024, 6:38am

Thanks for sharing that Ajata Freestyle video. It’s hard for us in the USA to get together nationally due to distance, so an event like that for us is basically once a year, unless we live in Minnesota, where the nation’s largest unicycle club is, or the New York area, where there are also lots of unicyclists not too far apart.

Does anyone know where I can get a copy of that Unicon XIII video? I don’t know if I even knew one was made for that one.

hell-on-wheel · February 2, 2024, 2:03am

Profile hub/crankset - the original* splined unicycle hub. Purchased in 2003 when I built my first real muni.
Came with an unlimited lifetime warranty. Anyone still riding one of these?

*I’m sure someone can show us a custom-made piece from the 80-90’s. I think George Peck had one?

JimT · February 2, 2024, 4:45am

My Dirt Uni has Profile hub/cranks. At 170mm the cranks were too long and I found none available shorter. I cut them in two and welded back together at 125mm. It is a good hub.

hell-on-wheel · February 4, 2024, 2:19am

Nice! So much experimentation with frame design in those days.

Good call and excellent work shortening them. I remember when 170’s were the size to get, I think because it’s what Kris Holm used early on. I went with 145’s.

I imagine cutting them like that voided your lifetime warranty. Still worth it

jaco_flans · February 4, 2024, 5:25pm

I have lots of older unicycle stuff.

I do think I have all (or most) unicycle movies. I have the VHS of Universe (1999)!

I’ve got 2 sets of Profile Racing hub-cranks. The nicest crankset ever produced IMO. Not riding any of them, totally just because they are beautiful pieces.

I’ve got the Ti unicycle Zach Baldwin was riding in Defect.

Most Unimag magasines.

I have a complete stock 2004 KH24. Just because it’s hot hahahaha!

hell-on-wheel · February 4, 2024, 5:41pm

Was that the one with a sloped crown for gliding?

jaco_flans · February 4, 2024, 10:04pm

Yesssss. The black Steel frame. I always thought those were beautiful frames!

unicycle6869 · February 10, 2024, 10:12pm

I’m creating a “Unicycle Museum” at Unicon 21 this summer in MN. It will hopefully have all sorts of unique, cool, weird, vintage, etc. unicycles and maybe some other misc. unicycle parts/videos. If any of you are planning on coming and have space to bring some stuff to be put on display, please send me a message. Thanks!