My Mini went in for its annual service (£202.26 and there’s more to do,
ouch) and nobody was around to give me a lift down there. Consequently,
when the mechanic phoned to say I had about half an hour to get down there
(4.5 miles) I knew my only choice was to unicycle - it had taken an hour
and ten minutes to walk home when I dropped it off.
Going on a bike (something I don’t actually own wouldn’t have worked
because a bike won’t fit in a Mini.
I got down there in 45 minutes (made the mechanic 5 minutes late leaving
but there was nothing else I could do) on my 20" cycle.
It’s not the first time I’ve unicycled the 4.5 mile stint from Pembury
into Tunbridge Wells but it was much more comfortable on my new air seat.
Unfortunately the 20" wheel meant I had to peddle furiously to get to 8mph
and had so I had stick to around 6mph Previously the top speed I’ve
measured on my 20" unicycle is only 10mph - and that was sustainable for
about 1 second…
Would a 24" wheel have helped or is this sort of journey coker territory?
What about 28"?
Can anybody recommend a lowish-cost medium-range solution? I’m not
planning on any marathons.
Another problem with my 20" unicycle (which I bought before I knew
anything about unicycling - to learn on) is that a 10 minute journey
leaves me sweating buckets…
Would a 24" wheel have helped or is this sort of journey coker territory?
What about 28"?
A 24" would indeed help. I couldn’t believe the difference when I bought a
24" for getting around (I used to ride everywhere on a 20"). Suddenly
getting places seemed so much quicker and easier. Now I use a 28" and
wouldn’t dream of commuting on a 20.
As a rough guide, with comparison to a 20" uni: 24" is 20% faster 26" is
30% faster 28" is 40% faster 36" is 80% faster.
So with a Coker you can almost double your speed while a 24" still gives
you a very noticeable difference.
Check with Roger re solutions in your price range. It’ll probably be
cheaper than your mini repairs
o o Peter Bier o O o Juggler, unicyclist, programmer and mathematician.
o/|\o peter_bier@usa.net
I am not sure if a 24" would fit in a Mini unless the seat were removed.
Certainly any of the others would be a tight squeeze, Coker …not a
chance (and now someone will prove me wrong!).
24" with 110 cranks would make a nice fast machine if it would fit in.
Roger
The UK's Unicycle Source
<a href="http://www.unicycle.uk.com/">http://www.unicycle.uk.com/</a>
----- Original Message ----- From: “Peter Bier” <peter_bier@usa.net> To:
“Andrew Feldhaus” <reply@thread.pls>
Cc: <unicycling@winternet.com> Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: [Had to pick up my car from the garage yesterday…]
> Would a 24" wheel have helped or is this sort of journey coker > territory? What about 28"? > > A 24" would indeed help. I couldn’t believe the difference when I bought
a > 24" for getting around (I used to ride everywhere on a 20"). Suddenly
getting > places seemed so much quicker and easier. Now I use a 28" and wouldn’t
dream > of commuting on a 20. > > As a rough guide, with comparison to a 20" uni: 24" is 20% faster 26" is > 30% faster 28" is 40% faster 36" is 80% faster. > > So with a Coker you can almost double your speed while a 24" still gives
you a > very noticeable difference. > > Check with Roger re solutions in your price range. It’ll probably be
cheaper > than your mini repairs > > > > o o Peter Bier o O o Juggler, unicyclist, programmer and mathematician. > o/|\o peter_bier@usa.net
At the coker weekend, we had some people turn up with a mini containing a
tent, three people, sleeping bags, tools etc. and with a coker and two
bikes on top of it. Surprising what you can transport with a mini if
you’ve got a roof-rack.
joe
“Roger” <Roger@unicycle.uk.com> wrote in message news:006f01c134a6$b2f06900$dc5bfe3e@p400… > I am not sure if a 24" would fit in a Mini unless the seat were removed. > Certainly any of the others would be a tight squeeze, Coker …not
a > chance (and now someone will prove me wrong!). > > 24" with 110 cranks would make a nice fast machine if it would fit in. > > Roger >
> ----- Original Message ----- From: “Peter Bier” <peter_bier@usa.net> To: > “Andrew Feldhaus” <reply@thread.pls> > Cc: <unicycling@winternet.com> Sent: Monday, September 03, 2001 11:10 AM > Subject: Re: [Had to pick up my car from the garage yesterday…] > > > > Would a 24" wheel have helped or is this sort of journey coker
territory? > > What about 28"? > > > > A 24" would indeed help. I couldn’t believe the difference when I
bought > a > > 24" for getting around (I used to ride everywhere on a 20"). Suddenly > getting > > places seemed so much quicker and easier. Now I use a 28" and wouldn’t > dream > > of commuting on a 20. > > > > As a rough guide, with comparison to a 20" uni: 24" is 20% faster 26" > > is 30% faster 28" is 40% faster 36" is 80% faster. > > > > So with a Coker you can almost double your speed while a 24" > > still gives > you a > > very noticeable difference. > > > > Check with Roger re solutions in your price range. It’ll probably be > cheaper > > than your mini repairs > > > > > > > > o o Peter Bier o O o Juggler, unicyclist, programmer and > > mathematician. > > o/|\o peter_bier@usa.net
I drive a Nissan Pulsar, which has about 7 cubic feet of cargo area in the back. I have a 24" uni and it fits just fine. I’m also rather tall and I can still get it to fit without lowering the seat.
If the mini (cool car by the way!) has less storage space than mine, I’d suggest simply finding a 24" or 26" with a quick release seat post. I’m sure you could get it all to fit after taking the post off.
I doubt getting a big 36" Coker into your car would be easy. But you could probaby put the Mini in neutral and tow it with the Coker!
> I am not sure if a 24" would fit in a Mini unless the seat were removed. > Certainly any of the others would be a tight squeeze, Coker …not > a chance (and now someone will prove me wrong!). > > 24" with 110 cranks would make a nice fast machine if it would fit in.
I’ve never owned a Mini but I used to have a Honda 600, which was
basically a Japanese version of the Mini. You could easily get several 24"
unis in there and still have room for two. 28" also no problem.
Don’t know about a Coker though. I know you can fit a 40" big wheel into a
VW Beetle (old kind), but my 45" would not fit through the door. So I had
to resort to this: http://www.unicycling.com/garage/bigwheel.htm (scroll
down to 2nd picture to see my big wheel on the back of my old Unibug).
This woudn’t work the same way on a Mini, but I’m sure one could rig
something up that would be less convenient. What a cool looking Mini that
would make, not that a Mini needs any help…
Roger <Roger@unicycle.uk.com> wrote: > I am not sure if a 24" would fit in a Mini unless the seat were removed. > Certainly any of the others would be a tight squeeze, Coker …not > a chance (and now someone will prove me wrong!).
Elliot, are you reading this? Elliot, Anna and Duncan came down from
Suffolk for the new Forest Cokerheads gathering in a (single) mini with
two mountain bikes and a coker, three people, two tents and three people
camping gear! I admit they did use a roof rack, but stil it was pretty
impresive.
wouldn’t have worked
Previously the top speed I’ve