# monocycles at Beijing olympics
**URL:** https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482
**Category:** General
**Created:** [June 8, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482 "2008-06-08T23:39:26Z")
**Posts on this page:** 17
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@sethg](https://unicyclist.com/u/sethg)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2008, 11:39pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/1 "2008-06-08T23:39:26Z")
“Chinese paramilitary police practise a performance for the closing ceremony of the Beijing Olympic Games on May 7, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Photo by Guang Niu/Getty Images)”
From: [http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/olympic\_preparations.html](http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/06/olympic_preparations.html)
Sorry if it’s a dupe. I searched around, but didn’t see it posted here yet.
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### Author:  [@patsandy100](https://unicyclist.com/u/patsandy100)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2008, 11:41pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/2 "2008-06-08T23:41:23Z")
Hehe Cool. :d
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### Author:  [@muzzle](https://unicyclist.com/u/muzzle)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 2:50am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/3 "2008-06-09T02:50:04Z")
Thats awesome, but why the military?
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### Author:  [@Hazmat](https://unicyclist.com/u/Hazmat)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 4:15am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/4 "2008-06-09T04:15:43Z")
> [@muzzle](#):
>
> Thats awesome, but why the military?
Maybe cause of the…
1) Smog beijing has.
2) World rising fuel costs.
3) Cutbacks.
Still awesome, nonetheless. 😃
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### Author:  [@jonathan\_s](https://unicyclist.com/u/jonathan_s)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 4:26am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/5 "2008-06-09T04:26:36Z")
Very nice, I’d like to have one of them.
By the way, these wheels are much easier to ride than a regular unicycle, because of the higher rotation center which makes it more stable.
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### Author:  [@kington99](https://unicyclist.com/u/kington99)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 4:27am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/6 "2008-06-09T04:27:32Z")
> [@muzzle](#):
>
> Thats awesome, but why the military?
they’ve got nothing better to do, and who else does that government employ in large numbers that’s free to do this kind of crap?
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### Author:  [@Seager](https://unicyclist.com/u/Seager)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 8:37am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/7 "2008-06-09T08:37:31Z")
I think in China you’re either in the army or busy getting killed by the army.
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### Author:  [@Bondo](https://unicyclist.com/u/Bondo)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 8:40am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/8 "2008-06-09T08:40:31Z")
Good thing they are in camoflage clothes.
The monocycles seem awful light for being made of lead.
…an hour later you will want to ride your monocycle again.
🙂
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### Author:  [@johnfoss](https://unicyclist.com/u/johnfoss)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 10:24am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/9 "2008-06-09T10:24:56Z")
> [@jonathan\_s](#):
>
> By the way, these wheels are much easier to ride than a regular unicycle, because of the higher rotation center which makes it more stable.
The center of rotation thing is true, but those aren’t very easy to ride either. They are heavy and sluggish (takes getting used to), and built for short people and not adjustable. [For me to pedal one](http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/112948#4035890), my knee wants to hit my arm at the top of the pedal stroke.
Sheesh, some of you guys seem to think the Chinese army gets outfitted with these things! Get real. The ones they actually get issued are camouflage colors as well. 🙂
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### Author:  [@BluntRM](https://unicyclist.com/u/BluntRM)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 10:32am UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/10 "2008-06-09T10:32:46Z")
I think it’s easier to violently suppress Tibetan independence while on monocycles.
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### Author:  [@goldenchickenIV](https://unicyclist.com/u/goldenchickenIV)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 12:28pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/11 "2008-06-09T12:28:18Z")
This vehicle would win the RTL. Imagine sitting comfortably all the way from Yarmouth to Baddeck.
> [@johnfoss](#):
>
> The center of rotation thing is true, but those aren’t very easy to ride either. They are heavy and sluggish (takes getting used to), and built for short people and not adjustable. [For me to pedal one](http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/112948#4035890), my knee wants to hit my arm at the top of the pedal stroke.
>
> Sheesh, some of you guys seem to think the Chinese army gets outfitted with these things! Get real. The ones they actually get issued are camouflage colors as well. 🙂
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### Author:  [@nathan](https://unicyclist.com/u/nathan)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 12:29pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/12 "2008-06-09T12:29:17Z")
Thanks for posting that site Seth - very cool photos. I don’t think I’ve seen so many of those monocycles in one place at one time before. I wonder how they decided to use them for the ceremony.
—Nathan
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### Author:  [@sarah.miller](https://unicyclist.com/u/sarah.miller)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 12:41pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/13 "2008-06-09T12:41:49Z")
> [@nathan](#):
>
> I wonder how they decided to use them for the ceremony.
AFAIK military training is compulsory for all chinesse highschool and university students.AND china has a bad case of Oliypic fever & their school sports days tend to feature an opening ceromany along Olympic lines.
so… maybe it was along of lines of
We need some thing to look like olimpic rings that no one has done before… What were those things the students at the circus training school had in their sports day opening ceromany .
Big ring shaped things,we could paint 5 of them differnt colours. That should kep them quiet during thier millitary training this year.
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### Author:  [@kington99](https://unicyclist.com/u/kington99)
#### Post date: [June 9, 2008, 12:56pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/14 "2008-06-09T12:56:41Z")
as with most olymic opening ceremonies, i think a bunch of guys smoked a huge amount of crack and then got given a budget
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### Author:  [@burjzyntski](https://unicyclist.com/u/burjzyntski)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2008, 1:12pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/15 "2008-08-31T13:12:01Z")
but can you ride them backwards?
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### Author:  [@johnfoss](https://unicyclist.com/u/johnfoss)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2008, 2:20pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/16 "2008-08-31T14:20:02Z")
I can’t remember for sure, but I think the ones I’ve tried had freewheels. In other words, no.
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### Author:  [@tadaniels](https://unicyclist.com/u/tadaniels)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2008, 2:51pm UTC](https://unicyclist.com/t/monocycles-at-beijing-olympics/99482/17 "2008-08-31T14:51:54Z")
John,
> [@johnfoss](#):
>
> I can’t remember for sure, but I think the ones I’ve tried had freewheels.
I remember folks (including you) trying out a monocycle in the hallways of our dorm building at UNICON XII in Tokyo. I seem to remember that it belonged to the Chinese team . . . .