At the recent Australian Uninats I had the opportunity to do two things
that I have wanted to try for a while.
The first one was to really go off road on a unicycle. The grin on my face
after my first Muni lasted until the next day. The second one was taking a
coker for a long ride. I was blown away. It is now on my wish list of
extravagant toys.
During the Muni ride I was thinking of things that I would change to make
the whole experience a little more enjoyable. I thought that I would put
them up here.
Thoughts about the uni…
I used a standard 24" uni (torker equivalent) with a few changes.
Cranks I had short steel cranks (from a 20") on my unicycle for the track
events. I did not change them back to the long cranks before the Muni
event. Big mistake - going up hills was really tough, and going down hills
was really, really scary. I am now looking for longer alloy cranks.
Pedals I used big platform pedals with spikes sticking out of them -
fabulous! My feet didn’t even think of slipping off.
Brake I did not have one. Due to the lack of torque that the short cranks
gave me I really wished that I did had brakes fitted. As I plummeted down
hills with no ability to stop I wished that the unicycle fairy would
suddenly appear and grant me the power to achieve a controlled descent.
Wheel I used the standard 24" rim and hub. In the future I will use a
wider alloy rim for strength and weight benefits. I did put on a chunky
tyre and that certainly stopped me slipping all over the place on the
loose rocks and dust.
Seat I used a Viscount seat. After trying a Miyata seat for the first time
I have repented of my evil ways and will duly banish the Viscout when my
new Miyata seat arrives.
Seat post clamp A locating screw through the frame and seat post will
be added. This should avoid the seat from getting crooked after the
big stacks.
And now there are a few comments on what I wore…
Helmet Getting one with more ventilation would make things a tad more
comfortable.
Protective Gear I wore gloves and knee pads. I think that more protective
gear would have encouraged me to be a bit more extreme. As I do not enjoy
bleeding I took it pretty safe. On the wishlist are shin and elbow pads.
Hydration backpack This was essential. Being able to take sips of water
throughout the 40 minute ride was brilliant.
Shoes I wore Converse Allstars (high tops) These are the best shoes for
every activity in the world (including formal occasions). I can’t
recommend them highly enough.
Well, those are my opinions on how I would make Muni more comfortable. I
enjoyed the experience and will be out on a trail this weekend, next week
and probably the week after that too.
Wayne van Wijk