Howdy Unicyclists! I thought some of you might be interested to hear about my plans to MUni the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route this summer. Many of you may be familiar with Gracie Sorbello and Matt Burney who did this back in 2009. The route is 2,745 miles long, running from Banff, Canada to the Mexican border in New Mexico, and is mostly off-pavement. I’m using the attention drawn by my ‘missing wheel’ to raise awareness of human trafficking and to fundraise for Polaris Project, a well respected organization fighting to end modern day slavery. I’m also trying to turn as many kids (and adults) onto what we all know can be such a rewarding activity!
I hope that you will join me in what is sure to be quite an adventure. I’m blogging about the trip at my website www.greatdivideride.com and would welcome company here and there on the trail if you’re in the area! And of course, I’m looking forward to hearing some of your thoughts on my crazy plan.
Hey James, I’m in Earlysville, Virginia, just outside of Charlottesville. I’ve heard of some other unicyclists around here, but so far have not been able to locate them (if any of you are floating around in the forums here please send me a message!)
I was very excited to have a chance to speak with Gracie a few weeks ago; she’s an amazing person! I was scared of my seat before, but after talking to her, I’m scared to death of it. I think I’ll be experimenting with a custom seat over the winter months. There’s a short post about our conversation in my online journal.
Cool. You will probably have more luck if you post this same thread in Rec.Sport.Unicycling - most people don’t really check Just Conversation.
I used to live in northern VA, but have lost touch with most of the unicyclists from that area. Make a post in rec sport and I’m sure you will get a lot more replies and donations for your ride!
Definitely experiment with a seat, it will be the most important part of your set up. From looking at your site, you already have the light weight camping down, so now it will just be finding a good set up that won’t hurt too much wile riding with a backpack.
On the subject of the seat the most comfortable off the shelf option I found is the current KH Freeride but I find that a old DX or original KH seat works really well after some extensive carving.
You end up with a firmer saddle which can be a good thing on the long rides if you get the shape right.
Thanks for the advice James! I will post in rec sport as you recommend. You’re right, I’m pretty comfortable with the lightweight backpacking side of things, but there’s always more to learn, and when it comes to unicycling, there’s a ton more I could learn from everyone here! I rode unicycles while growing up, but it was before the days of the internet (before I had it at least). I liked to hop around on rocks a little and try my luck on some trails here and there, but back then I had no idea that other people might be trying the same thing. Until recently, I hadn’t actually been on a unicycle in some 13 years! There’s sooo much to learn, and so many new things, at least new to me. I mean, unicycles with brakes? and handlebars? The teenage me would never have imagined such things!
Saskatchewanian, thanks for the seat recommendations. I may start off with one of the ones you suggest and start whittling away as soon as I have a second seat to use while the other is in surgery! I’ve been planning also, to experiment with making an air seat. Gracie highly recommended it and explained to me how she made hers. Have you ever tried one of these for long distances?
Btw, for anyone who hasn’t seen it, Matt Burney made an awesome video documentary of his and Gracie’s ride and put it up on Vimeo. A must see for any unicyclist! and she talks a little about how she made her seat.
The freeride is a really good place to start off in terms of building your ultimate seat. I would highly recommend you DO NOT use an air seat for this type of ride. The problem with air seats is that with your weight (and the weight of your pack) pushing you onto the seat- the air pillow/innertube will deform and apply equal pressure everywhere! I much prefer a firmer saddle with a deep central cutout. This way the firm foam will take your weight and the channel will actually do something to relieve the pressure on your nerves and taint. Getting the shape/angle of the seat will be a process that will take time and only work if you put the ks into experimenting with new setups.
Also, get a handle. Being able to split your weight somewhat between the seat and the handle will do wonders for your comfort. As you become more used to it, you will find it also make you more efficient on the trail and expend less energy.
Best of luck, It sounds like an epic adventure!
Mark
Thanks Mark, you bring up some good points. Do you (or anyone else out there) happen to know of any sources for blocks of foam that could be purchased in bulk? It’s something I’ll be looking into so I can experiment with different seat shapes; any leads would be great!
I see what you’re saying about the air seat deforming… Gracie told me that she wrapped the tube in her custom seat with fleece, then with athletic tape - I assumed the athletic tape served to limit the deformation (I haven’t looked into this enough yet to know if it is common practice or something unique that she was doing).
I do plan to use a handle. I need to find as many places to strap water bottles as I can; last place I want water is on my back!
and she talks a little about how she made her seat.