This has been hinted at in previous threads, but I’m not aware if it’s been seriously discussed before.
Seat holding has always been a part of unicycling, but, with trials/muni/road riding, it has become a really major part, being pretty much essential for hops, jumps and rough terrain; hence the development of built in plastic seat handles and the extended Reeder handles.
Now I’m riding the roads on my 29-er, I find that I often have my hand permanently on the handle, as it leads to greater control and ability to deal with unexpected bumps.
As unicyclists, it’s very obvious, but I wonder what it looks like to the uninitiated? I know that the first time I saw a trials/muni vid it struck me that it looked a bit strange that all these unicyclists were apparently holding onto their crotches.
Has any one had any feeback from non unicyclists on how it’s percieved?
Just heard some random passer say to their friend that doesn’t look good (they were looking from behind my friend) but i think they understood, they knew it must be something associated with unicycling.
Mrs Sofa was at a ladies MTB training clinic (well worth it, she came out of the 1 day clinic easily 5 times the rider)
I took that time to play around on the trails (Kelso Cnv. Area)
Around one of the corners, between me and the ladies taking a breather was enormous rock garden.
They were far enough away that I couldn’t hear them talking, but I saw as one saw me and they all started pointing. Now’s my chance to show off! Off through the rock garden, picking the coolest line so showcase my mad skills, and as not to disturb their ‘all girls’ clinic, I took a fork in the garden and kept going.
Once we met up later in the day, Mrs Sofa said, they were all saying not ‘Look at that line he took!’, but ‘Why is he holding his crotch like that?’
PS, I like to show off in front of people not to show them what I can do, but to show them what can be done on a unicycle
I once rode beside a friend of mine who is a non-unicyclist. While i was stabilising myself over a bump by holding the handle, my friend made a comment, saying that i what have done is very obscene.
The new Cirque du Soleil show, Zumanity, deals with the sensual side of circus. For example, the obviously sexual parts of their partner’s bodies acrobalancers find their faces during some figures.
Perhaps the autoerotic aspect of unicycling is something they should consider adding to the show. One person, one wheel, one hand!
It’s about time they had some unicycling in their shows anyway.
Most of my friends who have seen me riding haven’t asked me about holding my crotch, but one of them who had not seen me riding but saw my unicycle, asked if the handle (plastic ice cream scoop of KH-saddle) was some kind of a groin pad. I wonder how it is supposed to protect my groin.
You’re supposed to hold onto the seat?.. I guess that explains why hopping has been so painful … seriously; I think people probably just see the saddle holding as part of the overall “idiot on a unicycle” picture… If you are too concerned about how you look ; you should participate in something more “normal” …(like baseball where it’s apparently mandatory to hold your parts).
I’m not concerned about how I look, I’m just interested in how it’s seen by the non unicycling public, and generally opening it up as a discussion point.
I’ve never heard any comments on the trail. Occasionally people seem to be staring at my crotch, whether I’m holding it or not, but that could just be my perception. Most likely it’s people wondering if riding a unicycle is hard on that part of the body.
I have only ever heard one person talk to me about holding my seat. My family went out to eat with another family and some friends. and it was like me and 3 girls and another guy out there, So I was riding around and jumping onto things, And I was olding my seat to jump and they were telling me how gross it looked. And I suspect other people think it weird too. But A lot of people just think it’s soooo cool I can jump on park benches they don’t pay attention to the crotch grabbing.
I ride and do trials around my college campus a lot, and i haven’t heard any comments about holding in that area. Usually it’s “Pop a wheelie!!” Anyway, i would hope that anyone with any grasp on physics would understand that it’s nexessary to hold on somehow, although it would probably be confusing from the side at a distance.
-Josh
I wonder how it is supposed to protect my groin.