Hello all,
This is kind of a belated introduction, as I’ve been lurking for some months
now, after discovering this list via the uni WWW page. What inspired me to
overcome my shyness was the recent discussion about length of time it took to
learn to ride (and also a contribution to increase the bandwidth to make
rec.{sport.}unicycling a possibility! :-).
My story is that when I was ~14, I remember spying a Sears unicycle for $20 in
the catalog. After much grief, and at least a week (it’s been 15 years now), I
too achieved that sense of elation when one finally is able to traverse those
precious few feet in semi-control. Well, after wearing out that pathetic
non-pneumatic solid tire, I spied a “real” Schwinn uni in a local bike shop.
Unfortunately, the price was exorbitant compared to my small means, so I
endeavored to buckle up and supplement my meager paper route income with the
lucrative wages as a strawberry picker. Lo and behold I was able to buy the
treasured uni! I’ve no idea how I got it in my head to unicyle in the first
place, as I didn’t know anyone who had one, and the only inspiration I had was
Jack Wiley’s book at my school library. I never progressed very far (never got
idling, or riding backwards down), and soon abandoned it. So, after a 15 year
hiatus, and new inspiration brought on by all the uni-talk on this mailing list,
I recently purchased a Miyata 24" deluxe (from Osell’s – thanks for the pointer
Karl). Much to my (pleasant) surprise, I had no trouble picking up where I left
off 15 years ago. OK, I’ve heard “it’s like riding a bike, once you’ve learned,
you never forget”, but I’d never heard “It’s like riding a unicycle!”. Is this a
common thing – once you learn, you never forget?
ObSpecs: Steve Nash Occupation: Aeronautical Engineer Hobbies: bike racing
(road, track, mountain), juggling, and unicyling Location: Los Alto Hills,
California
Thanks for the inspiration! Steve
================================================================
Steve Nash | Computer Sciences Corporation snash@nas.nasa.gov | NASA Ames
Research Center, M/S T27B-2
(415) 604-4517 | Moffett Field, CA 94035