SUCCESS!

General
1

Yee ha!

I finally got my Coker back from David at www.nimble.net yesterday - he’s a
fellow juggler and custom bicycle wheelmaker here in Austin who offered to
true my wheel and tighten my spokes. He wound up keeping my Coker for over
two weeks and not doing the work because he lacked the tools, sigh.

But my point - and I do have one - is this: on the third rep of my sixth or
seventh set of five attempts this morning, I freemounted, rode a block, and
dismounted smoothly with my unicycle in front. This, I feel, is a
considerable improvement over mounting with a hand resting on Christa’s
shoulder, riding less than a hundred feet, and UPDing hard enough to
reinjure my knee, which was my previous (6/6/2) best. It is, of course,
also the level 1 test, if I could do it my first try instead of my thirtieth
or so.

Short daily early-morning practices until I can do level 1, then maybe the
Veloway for distance and fun alternating with home practice for level 2
skills like turns and a right-foot mount. The local unicyclists (Hi AJ,
Wiz, Jerry, Nate, Darren P., Darren G…) ride for distance most Sundays…
it’ll be a while before I can keep up with them. Yiking to juggling
practice Thursday evenings’ll have to wait until I get stuff like a helmet
and lights.

Why early morning, you might ask? This is Texas. It was 70 an hour and a
half ago, when I practiced. It’s 76 with a heat index of 79 now. It’s
going to be 95 with a heat index of maybe a hundred later.

Am I babbling? I’m babbling. I’ll shut up now…

Euphoric in Austin,

Scott

–
Success is goals.
–Lloyd Conant

2

Scott,

You brought up a good point, HEAT, and how it affects one’s day unicycling . If temperatures reach 90 degrees F, inevitably the fun factor declines. For example, I left my house today and road to “Saltair” , for what was about 16 or 17 miles. I only drank one and a half bottles of water during the one and a half hour ride. However, on the way back the temperature was much hotter, thus affecting the quality of my ride considerably. I went through two water bottles (which was all I had) in the first hour and needed more. I was noticably not as comfortable as I was on the way out.

When cycling one seems to move through the air fast enough so that heat dissipation works quite well, as long as you are sweating and it doesn’t get extremely hot. Unicycling on the other hand, is a slower activity. Even at average speeds of 13 or 14 MPH are not fast enough for heat dissipation to work effectively.

Last year I attempted to ride 100 miles in 100-degree heat. At the 75-mile point I could not go any further due to heat exhaustion. I had all the cold water I wanted available because of my wife following me in her car. Most cyclists had no problem finishing the event. A few months ago I had no problem with heat when I did 90 miles in 70-degree temperatures. The point is when unicycling for any length of time, one must pay particular attention to temperatures.

I feel that I am physically ready to attempt 100 miles in 8 to 9 hours including stops. I have been planning to do so for quite some time. But until the temperature lets up a bit, from past experience, I would be wasting my time. I am not necessary looking for 70-degree temperatures, but 80 degrees would be nice.

With that said, I am hoping Harpers hub, coupled with a 700C rim/tire combination will propel me through the air fast enough so that heat will dissipate. I will soon see!

dan

3

Harper’s Hub and a 700c tyre? The vision of glowing red spacecraft performing re-entry springs to mind. Remember the new Heat Resistant Ceramic Plate roach armour!

Seriously, I agree with the heat thing… last time I went up the hill it was a cool evening, where today it was midday sun (in England, but still)… I currently have a swine of a headache which I put down to the heat and effort. To which end, I’m going to bed… g’night…

Phil, just me

4

Re: SUCCESS!

> You brought up a good point, HEAT, and how it affects one’s day
> unicycling . If temperatures reach 90 degrees F, inevitably the fun
> factor declines. For example, I left my house today and road to
> “Saltair” , for what was about 16 or 17 miles. I only drank one and a
> half bottles of water during the one and a half hour ride. However, on
> the way back the temperature was much hotter, thus affecting the quality
> of my ride considerably. I went through two water bottles (which was
> all I had) in the first hour and needed more. I was noticeably not as
> comfortable as I was on the way out.

Yep, my insane unicycling friends are perfectly happy to yike in the heat,
but in Texas summer…

At sunrise it’s around 70 degrees, very pleasant. By noon, though, it’s in
the 90s at least. In August it’ll be over a hundred.

5

Re: SUCCESS!

Hi Scott,
Just wanted to say that I’m glad you got your wheel back,
FINALLY.Congrats on the ride. We got a good ride in today and can’t wait
for you to join us. The hotter the better, baby!! Of course I’m probably
alone in my thoughts there. Oh well. Later, dude.

Aj

6

Re: SUCCESS!

“Scott Kurland” <skurland@juggler.net> wrote in message
news:uhchkpbvp92b9b@corp.supernews.com…
> >
> Yep, my insane unicycling friends are perfectly happy to yike in the heat,
> but in Texas summer…
>
> At sunrise it’s around 70 degrees, very pleasant. By noon, though, it’s
in
> the 90s at least. In August it’ll be over a hundred.
>

Are you going to enter the Hotter’n Hell Hundred?

Doug

7

RE: SUCCESS!

> When cycling one seems to move through the air fast
> enough so that heat dissipation works quite well, as
> long as you are sweating and it doesn’t get extremely
> hot. Unicycling on the other hand,

Hey, unicycling is cycling. I think you meant bicycling, a word you
usually don’t have to use unless there are unicycles around…

> is a slower activity. Even at average speeds of 13 or
> 14 MPH are not fast enough for heat
> dissipation to work effectively.

This is true, though those are still decent speeds and your sweat will still
do its job, just not as effectively as on a faster vehicle. Take the same
unicycle up a steep hill, and you’ll really warm up. More work and no
speed = lots of sweat!

> Last year I attempted to ride 100 miles in 100-degree heat.

Wow! Even on a bike. Were you on a unicycle?

> I had no problem with heat when I did 90 miles in
> 70-degree temperatures. The point is when unicycling
> for any length of time, one must pay particular
> attention to temperatures.

As with any activity. Along with temperature, consider humidity. Straight
heat is not nearly as bad as heat + high humidity! Anyone who went to UNICON
X in China can vouch for that.

I now have the luxury of living in Northern California, which has much lower
humidity than Michigan and Long Island where I lived before. So 90 degrees
here is a very different situation from the average 90 degree day there. In
fact, I just rode the 7-mile Clementine Loop in Auburn (which we rode at the
first 3 MUni Weekends), in somewhere-around-90-degree sun. Ow. I think I got
some sunburn. I forgot how much exposure there is on that trail. And yes I
sweated, especially on the way up! But a lot less on the way down.

Stay on top,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com

“If we are what we eat, then I’m easy, fast, and cheap!”

8

Re: SUCCESS!

Hi Doug,
I’m doing the Hotter Than Hell Hundred but I’m only doing the fifty
mile route. Hundred mile maybe next year. later days.

aj

9

Re: SUCCESS!

“Aj” <jugglerjoe@webtv.net> wrote in message
news:mailman.1024920291.20323.rsu@unicycling.org…
>
> Hi Doug,
> I’m doing the Hotter Than Hell Hundred but I’m only doing the fifty
> mile route. Hundred mile maybe next year. later days.
>
> aj
>

I’d like to go also. I’ve heard a lot about it, but never been there.
There won’t be a hotel room for 60 miles. Can we get a RV hook-up? I can
borrow a RV and put up a few people (think air conditioning!). Is anyone
else going?

delete the spaces: dvm 2 @ cox . net

I would probably ride my 26" in the 10 (um…toe in sand…that’s km)
since the next is 25 miles. Maybe I could step up a distance per year for a
couple of years.

Doug

10

I’d like to go too! When is it?
-Mark

11

Re: SUCCESS!

“Cokerhead” <Cokerhead.6v7bb@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:Cokerhead.6v7bb@timelimit.unicyclist.com…
>
> I’d like to go too! When is it?
> -Mark
>

12

miles to km’s: divide by 5 multiply by 8
km’s to miles: divide by 8 multiply by 5

toe out of sand…

13

Re: SUCCESS!

Oh, I can do the math, I was just ‘toe in sand’ meaning I’m embarrassed to
not try the long distances that others go in this forum. But, it will be
around 100°F that day. The next length is 25 miles; about 5 more than I
would try at this point.

Doug

“GILD” <GILD.6wedb@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote in message
news:GILD.6wedb@timelimit.unicyclist.com…
>
> miles to km’s: divide by 5 multiply by 8
> km’s to miles: divide by 8 multiply by 5
>
> toe out of sand…
>
>
> –
> GILD - agent of entropy
>
> “If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more
> thought.”
> --Dennis Roch
>
>
> Namaste!
> Dave
>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
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> View this thread: http://www.unicyclist.com/thread/18889
>