“I had the 29” Nimbus in blue with ISIS and dual hole 125-150 moment cranks."
Hey that is exactly what I am normally riding when I get “the look”. Except of course that mine has a pitchfork extending from the t-bar. I wonder if that in any way contributes to “the look”?
OK, just kidding about the pitchfork. But I do have a Blue Nimbus 29 with 125/150 cranks.
Funny that you mention this, because I definitely get much better reactions from people riding my 24" Torker DX than I used to when riding my 29" Nimbus. On the 29er I would get a lot of “what the fuuuuuuuuu” and on my 24 I get a lot of “whoa dude that is cool”.
Wonder why? I’d think the bigger wheel would be more impressive. Anyone in here ride a 36er and just have people scream and run?
They probably wanted to see the fall. A good rule of thumb for “pretend” out-of-control riding: If you don’t stay in pretty good control the whole time, it’s going to look worse than if you were just riding normally. 
Because people seem to be stupider with strollers than they are with cars. Just earlier today I wanted to have the following conversation with a woman who was waiting, with her stroller in the street (5 lanes wide) while her feet were in a driveway:
Me - “Is there a baby in there?”
Her - “Yes” (just guessing)
Me - “Then why is your stroller in the street??”
Sheesh. People often panic for a second, which lands them in your path instead of out of it. Like squirrels.
Get a bike bell. They work wonders in places like bike paths. Without having to look (and being distracted/confused by the unicycle), most people know what to do and make some space for you.
Others will remain completely oblivious (especially kids), so don’t expect it to be a cure-all. I’ve thought about trying to educate the other bike path users, but that task is about as rewarding (and effective) as all the hard work maestro8 does here. 
I get that look from time to time when riding. I think it’s pretty funny, some people even stand up to the wall or fence near them to make me more place because they’re too much afraid. Funny. Once I’ll have to scream or just say ‘booh!’.
Funny topic as I get the “terror eyes” often. Then they do the side to side shuffle step. Righto about dog people … they look at me like I am trying to scare their dogs. I know they don’t want a law-suit if their dog attacks me.
One woman gave me an under her breath comment so I stopped and told her that at the very least I do not pee on the fences and crap on the trail.
One place I ride dogs are supposed to be on a leash and never are and bikes and unicycles are allowed so I just zip on by. Hey … bite me … I got leg armor.
Shug
Where I used to live people generally recognized me, but coming up behind people I’d usually check for traffic, then ride on the street around them. Campus town, so people with headphones on were very common (And I was one when I had to walk ;))
A few times people seeing me would try to give me plenty of room by walking on the grass next to the sidewalk, but if they did it far enoigh away and not last minute I’d just ride onto the grass instead 
I have a bell on one of my bikes. Adults often filter it out and kids seem to hear it more often in my experience.
When it comes to little kids and dogs all bets are off.
The bell is probably most effective in the bike path environment, where it’s expected. Also, in my experience it has to be a “Brrring!” type, not a “Ding!” type to get noticed. Those cheap ones that just go ding don’t cut it. You have to spend a whole extra couple of dollars for the fancy Brrring! 
I just started using the bell, which works for a percentage, but for all the sidewalk walkers who are listening to their iPods, I need an air horn!!
Ha! You caught me. I have a bell that goes ‘ding’ which doesn’t work as well for alerting people of my presence but I can ‘play’ it by hitting it rhythmically with finger mutes on certain beats so it is more fun for me. Actually insisted on the display model because the one in the package didn’t sound the same.
I don’t have a bell on my uni but I may start riding with a slide whistle just in case.
The thing with adults walking or jogging on the bike path is that most of them are listening to ear buds or talking on the phone. In the old days you could see if someone had headphones but today its hard to tell - especially if they are hooded.
I think these days one might need an airhorn!
Pretty sure I am just going to get one of those harmonica neck mounts so anytime I’m coming up behind someone I can just play a sick blues lick real quick to get their attention… and then I’ll run them over with my unicycle.
… that would be really cool, actually.
Second coolest would just be to carry a kazoo and blow on it really hard any time you come up behind someone, but that wouldn’t really help with the people who whistle circus music at me as I pass by. Especially 'cause when I blow on a kazoo I can’t help but laugh like Krusty the Clown after…
… man I really wish I could actually laugh just like Krusty, that would be the ultimate “unicycle bell”. HU-HU-HU-HU-HUAAA HAAA HAA HAAA.
This reminds me, I think I will just set up a speaker box with this sound on it at defeaning vollumes: http://staires.org/laugh.mp3
Warning: if you load that sound up with your volume turned up you will scare the shit out of yourself and anyone around you. (It’s from Killer 7, the best Gamecube game ever made.)
That is a pretty good laugh in a box. Don’t kazoos kind of just mute out when you blow too hard? I took a harmonica with me on a ride once but I think you would need a Dylan-ish neck mount to be effective.
Probably just shooting a pistol in the air would do the trick. Would also let people know that we unicyclists mean business!
get some symbols too.
I too have experienced all types of the look of terror. I’m more on the polite side when see it. I slow down, smile, show control, or get off the sidewalk but sometimes you catch one or two. Last month I did a “pretend” out-of-control ride.
It was very spontaneous. I was coming down a hill of a wide asphalt footpath. A group of four were walking up and one of the ladies got “the look”. I immediately waved my arms, swerved my uni, and said whoooaa. It was good for a laugh.
(It was a mountain side that you could have a deadly fall into the ocean.)
:d
I always work from the assumption that all the holding-the-dog that the dog owners do on my approach is to protect me from their dog(s). I simply say “thank you” when riding past which mainly serves to get the subliminal message across that I am not a danger.
Is this look only supposed to happen when you’re riding a unicycle?
I think it can strike anywhere.
Well it also happens sometimes when I take my shirt off at the beach. But I’m not sure how that is relevant.