Check it out. I made the front page of the local paper on my homemade wooden
unicycle. I was riding a steep rough trail.
Idaho Joe
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Cool! Right there under top stories.
Where’s the helmet? :^)
john_childs
From: unicycle17@aol.com (Unicycle17)
>Check it out. I made the front page of the local paper on my homemade wooden
>unicycle. I was riding a steep rough trail.
>
>www.wrjournal.com
>
>Idaho Joe
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Have you ever neglected to duck far enough when going under an overhanging
tree? I have, more than once. Just last weekend I put another nice scratch on
my helmet when I didn’t duck far enough on a bumpy downhill trail that cuts
under a leaning tree. It was a glancing blow and wouldn’t have been serious,
but it still would have hurt and probably would have made a nice bloody gash
on my head.
john_childs
From: maxfieldd@aol.com (Maxfield D)
>Just so that people know it can happen, I have managed to hit my head twice.
>
>First time, my wheel hit a rock during a steep descent off road. I was launched
>head first into a tree that was about 4 feet below me. Head hit the
>trunk–helmet worked
>
>Second time, I did some crazy thing–like get my laces caught around the crank.
>I was on level ground with lots of rocks. I went down so fast that I couldn’t
>put my hands out. My forehead took he brunt of the fall–helmet worked.
>
>I like my helmet. And consider wrist guards. I broke my wrist learning to go
>backwards on a rocky stretch. Live and learn.
>
>My wife isn’t sure that I’m really coordinated enough to ride one of these
>things…
>
>David Maxfield Bainbridge Island, WA
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
RE: Me and my MUni make front page
I thought the newspaper article was great! I especially liked the picture. It
looks like anything in your way better get out! It was a good, positive article.
Though it doesn’t harm the article that you’re not wearing one, you should
really think about a helmet.
> No helmet. I have scraped my shins, bruised my knees and elbows, and bloodied
> my palms, but I have never managed to come close to hurting my head. So I do
> not wear the helmet. I believe there are heat and alertness issues with
> helmets.
You and George Peck. What to do with you? If you ride downhill on rocks,
anything can happen and eventually it probably will. A helmet is like a seat
belt. You don’t wear it because you’re going to crash today, you wear it because
chances are you’ll crash once. The brain is the most important part of your
body, and it doesn’t heal or grow back like bones and other things. One brain
injury and that’s it.
The heat issue with a good helmet these days is minimal. In my case, I also like
the sunburn protection it provides! But I worked for 3 1/2 years as a driving
educator (car and motorcycle) in NY before I came to CA, and I learned too much
about why you should wear a helmet to do anything else but.
Ride at your own risk, John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone http://www.unicycling.com
“My uncle John is a Unicyclist. Not a Scientist.” - Austin Miller, age 8
RE: Me and my MUni make front page
> great, it’s a nice article. I just wondered if the photo is somehow
> manipulated (turned). It looks like you fall off your unicycle any second. You
> lean very much to the back. Or are you so fast, that you will reach balance
> the next moment?
It looks like the picture was taken looking up a steep hill. This is always hard
to communicate in flat photographs. You take a picture of the steepest hill
you’ve ever seen somebody ride down, show it to others, and they don’t see the
steep hill…
Was that frost on all those plants back there? That and the clouds lend an
eerie color.
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone http://www.unicycling.com
“My uncle John is a Unicyclist. Not a Scientist.” - Austin Miller, age 8
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
I am not certain that I did not fall after the photo because the reporter took
so many of them and I do not recognize the spot from the photo. I did fall once
while he was shooting. I suspect that I am simply above one of the many sharp
switchbacks on the trail and ready to loop a sharp turn. I am happy that the
reporter/photographer was able to make me look good, and it is a credit to his
skill. He managed to write good stuff about me without lying too much. I am also
pleased to learn that the loose screws are in my unicycle and not in my head as
I had previously thought. I am sure the squeaky noise is from the spokes.
There is no frost on the sagebrush. The photo was taken in the early evening and
the sage has tassels that stick up and are light in color. It was probably fifty
degrees when the shot was taken. The colors presented by the photo and the web
may not be completely accurate.
When I rode down the ski mountain in Snoqualmie, where helmets were required,
and I got to the bottom and bent down to unfasten my gear, accumulated sweat ran
out of my helmet and trickled onto the ground. This is water that could not cool
my precious brain by evaporation because it was pooled in the helmet. A unicycle
rider does not travel as fast as a bicycle rider, or a motorcycle rider, or even
a runner, and the ventilation suffers. The slower speed also brings protection
of the head into the realm natural reflexes and bone structure that has been
honed by generations. An overheated skull could certainly lead to errors in
judgment and slower reflexes. When I am riding over steep rocky terrain I am
very cautious and dismount at the first sign of trouble and go back and start
again. Perhaps I am simply more cautious than other riders, but I continue to
believe that conventional thought ignores the downside of helmets while
exaggerating the positive. People who believe they need them should wear them.
They should also respect my choice not to. Knock on wood.
We are approaching the best time of year for riding in Idaho. The slopes are
more stable in the spring and visibility is better before the grass gets long.
Stay on top Idaho Joe
RE: Me and my MUni make front page
>…continue to believe that conventional thought ignores the downside of
>helmets while exaggerating the positive. People >who believe
they
>need them should wear them. They should also respect my >choice not to.
Knock
>on wood.
I will repeat my comment of a few months back…
My fear of having to explaining to my (now) nine year old of “why daddy didn’t
have on his helment when he fell” motivates me to keep wearing mine.
Hugh in SC
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
No helmet. I have scraped my shins, bruised my knees and elbows, and bloodied my
palms, but I have never managed to come close to hurting my head. So I do not
wear the helmet. I believe there are heat and alertness issues with helmets.
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Joe, The article was very well written. It is fun to see the sport get coverage
in the local papers.
Barb K.
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Joe,
great, it’s a nice article. I just wondered if the photo is somehow
manipulated (turned). It looks like you fall off your unicycle any second. You
lean very much to the back. Or are you so fast, that you will reach balance
the next moment?
This reminds me, that I have to get my MUni out of the garage now and head for
the woods. Spring started …
lars
–
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Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Unicycling Sasquatch, I like it! Mary
Unicycle17 <unicycle17@aol.com> wrote in article
<20000405185044.27029.00000977@ng-bd1.aol.com>…
> Check it out. I made the front page of the local paper on my homemade
wooden
> unicycle. I was riding a steep rough trail.
>
> www.wrjournal.com
>
> Idaho Joe
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
John Childs wrote:
>Just last weekend I put another nice scratch on my helmet when I didn’t duck
>far enough on a bumpy downhill trail that cuts under a leaning tree. It was a
>glancing blow and wouldn’t have been serious, but it still would have hurt and
>probably would have made a nice bloody gash on my head.
>
If it was a glancing blow on a helmet, it probably would have missed you
completely if you hadn’t been wearing a helmet.
>From your previous posts, though, it sounds like you have good reason to
wear a helmet. I wouldn’t dream of wearing one on a unicycle myself. Actually
that’s not entirely true - there was an interesting bit of downhill I noticed in
the woods last year that I didn’t try, but might have done if I’d had a lid with
me. It wouldn’t have been worth taking a helmet on the ride just for that.
–
Danny Colyer (remove your.head to reply)
http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny.html Getting out of bed is a terrible
way to have to start the day.
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Joe,
I've riden both with and without a helmet and I respect your position
and ability to rationalize the no-brain bucket approach. Now I don't
even get near the MUni without helmet, leg armor, arm/elbow guards and a
back pad. I've taken many falls without a helmet and never had a
problem, after a time on more severe terrain I thought why push my luck
any further. And it is only luck. Your ability to land after an
involuntary dismount may be second to none but it's what happens after
you land that may cause an injury. After landing, if you stumble into
something that puts your body into a tumbling fall, it's not always easy
to select a stopping point. In fact a stopping point will most likely be
selected for you by a rock or tree. If your head is the bumper, a helmet
can eliminate a serious injury. Heat and sweat are issues and I am
always draining the pads in my helmet too. Bell makes a pretty well
ventilated helmet that's light, comfortable and not too hot. I've
stopped riding with two friends on tough stuff now because they lack
proper safety gear. If they get hurt I don't want to feel bad even
though they've been warned. Some sports just don't look right with
helmets like indoor roller skating. I did this for years going backwards
at 15-20 MPH and never wore a helmet. Never even gave it a second
thought even after other puddles of blood were cleaned from the floor
from cracked skulls. It never happened to me. Safety gear looks good on
MUni rides. Glad you're making headlines. Keep up the good work and
happy trails.
“The Muniac”
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Nice picture, Joe. Btw, what kind of axle does it take to hold up a guy
your size?
Chris
Unicycle17 wrote:
> Check it out. I made the front page of the local paper on my homemade wooden
> unicycle. I was riding a steep rough trail.
>
> www.wrjournal.com
>
> Idaho Joe
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Is the photo/article archived somewhere? I’m behind on my news reading and the
newspaper’s moved on to other stuff. I couldn’t find any archives on their page,
but maybe they’re behind the scenes somewhere.
Greg
On Wed, 05 Apr 2000, Unicycle17 wrote: >Check it out. I made the front page
of the local paper on my homemade wooden >unicycle. I was riding a steep
rough trail. >
>www.wrjournal.com > Idaho Joe
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
Just so that people know it can happen, I have managed to hit my head twice.
First time, my wheel hit a rock during a steep descent off road. I was launched
head first into a tree that was about 4 feet below me. Head hit the
trunk–helmet worked
Second time, I did some crazy thing–like get my laces caught around the crank.
I was on level ground with lots of rocks. I went down so fast that I couldn’t
put my hands out. My forehead took he brunt of the fall–helmet worked.
I like my helmet. And consider wrist guards. I broke my wrist learning to go
backwards on a rocky stretch. Live and learn.
My wife isn’t sure that I’m really coordinated enough to ride one of these
things…
David Maxfield Bainbridge Island, WA
Re: Me and my MUni make front page
>Second time, I did some crazy thing–like get my laces caught around the crank.
I have seen this a happen. Before a performance I go to each rider and chant
“check your shoe laces, check your shoe laces.” We average 70 riders for a
performance. Last week my own kid was in the Grand Finale with the other 74
kids(with helmets on) and her lace got caught. Luckily she noticed in time
before she went down(usually you don’t get this lucky, you on the ground before
you even knew the lace was caught). She remembered to pedal backwards to
untangle the lace. Oh, by the way she was on our 5 wheeled stack, 5- 16 inch
wheels stacked above each other. I’m not sure how tall this is but when they
ride it they hang on to the basketball hoops in the gyms. She is the first on
the team to ride it backwards. Joe, helmets are a personal choice but we have
made the decision for our team. They wear a helmet at all times. We get a few
grumbles preparing the artistic routines but they wear them. Barb K.