“What’s that Grandpa”?
“My Unicycle” I said.
“Can you ride it”? asked my best buddy.
“Sure” I said. But it no more got past my lips and I knew I was in for it now.
“Show me Grandpa!”
Way to go I thought. Been 30 years, got a flat tire, wired up pedal and I am in the grass in the back yard. Here goes nothing. Hit my free mount first time, rode across the yard and dismounted like it was yesterday. When I heard “COOL GRANDPA” I knew I was back. Break time was over.
Two new Uni’s and safety gear $700.00
Registration for the NAUCC next week, hotels and expenses $1500.00
I learned when I was 12 on a Schwinn 24”. The day after my ride for the grandson I was on the phone to all the bike shops in town and I picked up a Sun Flattop 20”. Three weeks later I am on unicycle.com and bought a nimbus equinox 20” street and added a Kris Holm street saddle.
I can’t believe how quickly it has all came back. I can pretty much hop on and ride until I want to stop. I have ridden almost every day for the last eight weeks. Until I had a poorly executed UPD last Saturday while doing idling practice and jammed my big toe. Been on the injured reserve list the last few days but I may try a short ride in my steel toed work tennis shoes in the morning.
When I rode as a kid that is all I did, ride. Everywhere. I didn’t have a clue about any tricks. This time I am trying to become a unicyclist. I have learned to hop a couple of times and I am working on idling. I even have done a little muni light, riding on some of the chat mountain bike trails by the house.
When I got on utube I was amazed at what you guys are doing on these things now. Makes me wish I was a few years younger.
how about creating a club “GranPas On One Wheel” ? (GOOW)
for my grand-children this is considered normal (after all 50% of GranPas ride a unicycle :p)
I would say we have the beginnings of a new not so secret society and I am in! Isn’t getting old great? Best part is you start to care less and less what others think. With the exception of the grand kids that is. Maintaining the “Cool Grandpa” status is a top priority in my book.
My bags are packed and I am heading up to Minnesota in the morning for the NAUCC. I am fired up. I have never ridden with another unicycle. I am looking forward to meeting new folks learning new things and watching the youngsters do incredible things on one wheel for my entertainment.
I may even try to find a class II-III white water river in the area so that I can skip over one day, rent a boat and run me a river. Now if the Fedex guy just shows up today and leaves me my new Kris Holm gloves and leg armor I will be set. I just need to figure out what shoes I want to get and I should be geared up. When I was a kid I rode in sandals and cutoff jeans. Now I look like Robo Cop with a my safety gear.
Regrets. I’ve had a few. But then again, too few to mention. My 1987 24" Schwinn unicycle was a busted hunk of junk but it got me the centerfold in my college yearbook. I got into mountain biking because it was easier than teaching my friends how to ride a unicycle. Beer money took priority around my junior year. Don’t tell my kids but I vow to keep them in quality unicycles regardless. Our recent addition of a 36" Nimbus Nightfox for my 11 year old daughter is a start. Money well spent. I wish my Dad would have done that for me. Of course, as Kris said in his book, back then $!,000 was not unheard of to customize a mountain unicycle that would not break.
Welcome to the forum DaUniGuy! Congratulations on the creative username. I see you are in Kansas City. Go Chiefs! My company had season tickets when I lived in Overland Park. From what I remember it was fairly bicycle friendly with asphalt paths here and there. Nothing like what Louisville boasts today, but you could kind of get around.
My story is similar to the OP. It never occurred to me until my kids were old enough to ride scoot bikes in the cul-de-sac out front. Ordered 24" Nimbus MUni sight unseen. Hop up and pedal. Just like riding a b*ke.
Thanks David but I can’t take credit for the name. There is a little guy maybe 3 or 4 years old who I run into on the trail with his mom. Every time he sees me he yells Mommy “Mommy its DaUniGuy”! I liked it so I stole it from him.
I am not sure what a Strava group is Wobbling bear but I am game. As to reporting on our progress and (extraordinary) feats I will start.
I have been at the since Saturday NAUCC. It is my last night and I leave in the morning.
I have learned to walk into my static mount. I can now do a rolling mount as well. I have learned to idle, need more practice but I feel I will have it down in short order. And I can hop! WOOHOO! They showed me how to ride seat out front as my next assignment. I need work but I think I will get it soon.
Never having ridden with another unicycle before and having hundreds around was awesome! I envy you folks with clubs. But I will happily go back to riding alone again. I will be in Wisconsin next year. You can count on it!!!
So nice to have met DaUniGuy on the KC trails again this week, looking forward to riding with you!
After a trip to the circus in the third grade, and subsequent unicycle 8th birthday present in 1973, I rode my Sears unicycle until I had cut through the axle and the pedal fell off. I loved it but the fumes then had me, (car fumes & perfumes), so I did not ride for 15 years until I wanted to teach my own kids to ride. Went to a bike shop and rode across the room the first time and also knew “I was back”. I raised 3 unicyclists and occasionally get to ride with them but the are off at college and have plenty of their own excellent life interests now.
After investing in a KH Free ride saddle, I found I could spend hours in the saddle. So on my Torker LS 24 I ride down the trails around KC, which are really getting awesome! Google maps has a bicycle option for showing trails, but does not show the many beautiful miles of 9 foot wide cement trails through the woods we have now. I current goal is to keep developing my distance until I can ride across the entire state of Missouri on the converted rail road Katy trail.
So “onewheels”, plural for a family of unicyclists
So nice to bump into DaUniGuy on the KC trail yesterday, hope to ride with you soon!
I started riding in 1973, rode until the Sears unicycle bushing and axle was cut through and the pedal fell off Then did not ride again until I wanted to teach my kids, went to a bike shop and rode across the room first time, knew that “I was back”. Now 4 of us in the family ride, my youngest daughter learned when she was only 4, her first week of kindergarten show and tell is still remembered by many
KC is growing many miles trails, everything from super smooth 9’ wide cement trails to off road and big hills. It’s great. I hope to ride across Missouri on the converted old rail road Katy Trail, soon connecting from Kansas City to St Louis.
I live in California, but spend part of my summer in K.C. and on Table Rock Lake. DaUniGuy and I are contemplating some gravel bar riding on the shores of Table Rock Lake, this summer. There was some discussing about the right unicycle for that kind of riding; Maybe a 20" fatty.
The Katy trail ride sounds like a real challenge. 237 miles. How many miles/day you want to attempt? If you don’t do so already, I suggest learning to ride with handlebars before attempting such a long, multi-day ride.
I really enjoyed today’s ride onewheels! Next time we will go to line Creek Park. May have to stop at the little store for a cold Fosters though.
I will be down at the lake next weekend elpuebloUNIdo and try to get some pictures of what I am talking about when I say gravel bars. If you have been attempting to ride the lakeshore when the lake is down you Da Man! Those are not gravel bars, those are bolder bars. I am talking about riding along flat creek. We can do an access hop ride starting at the tubes, and hit 5 river accesses and end at my place that has some pretty good riding as well. It is not distance riding more like sessioning. But there are lots of different routes and things to try. It will also get you away from the tourist up where you are in Kimberling and out to all the places where the locals hang out and party on a hot day. It’s a hoot!! You will enjoy it.
Doing the whole Katy trail is on my bucket list as well. Onewheels and I talked about it today a little. I want to take 2 weeks and take nothing but my camel back and a credit card. Have the wife run my support team and bring the luggage. Hit all the little towns, burgs (and bars) along the way. More like a 237 mile pub crawl then a distance ride.
Or maybe we can do a float/uni trip. Put our unis in my canoe and have the best of both worlds!
We’ll be at the lake ~ 16-24 June, then possibly later in the summer as well. I’ll contact you with more info. Riding on the creek beds sounds like a lot of fun…as well as hanging out with the locals!
