With all the recent talk of geared giraffes, unicycling tours, Cokers, and epicyclic hubs I would like to share the accomplishments of a unicyclist I haven’t found mentioned yet on Unicyclist.com, RSU, or any of the other unicycling sites.
Ben Linder and I were two of the very few undergrads at the University of Washington from 1978 to 1983 that unicycled daily for campus transportation. Ben came in from his home in Wedgewood; I took my uni in with my car or motorcycle every day. We met after I posted an “any other unicyclists?” message at the student bike shop. Besides bumping into each other on campus we also rode together occasionally at class breaks and did several fun rides. Today’s urban trials riders would put us to shame but we thought it was quite an accomplishment to ride the rim around the main campus fountain without falling in or off!
Ben and I both had 24" Schwinns, he also showed up one day with a really cool Schwinn giraffe, which I ended up purchasing a couple years later. He was an accomplished juggler, clown, and kept a tight rope between two trees in his back yard. Ben could pass juggling clubs while idling, I still only know a couple three ball patterns (but he did introduce me to scarf juggling). Basically we became friends because of our common interest in unicycling, if it hadn’t been for the wheel we probably never would have crossed paths, but I’m glad we did.
What I really want to tell you is a couple of Ben’s unique accomplishments and the rest of the story.
In 1980 Ben had a custom 5 foot giraffe with 20" wheel built by Glenn Erickson (now Erickson Tandems and Touring) and Mark Bulgier (now Ti-Cycles) at R&E Cycles. Ben was an engineering student and designed a three-speed triple crank for 20, 24, and 26 equivalents with an adjustable idler arm and gear to take up the chain slack. He had pannier racks mounted on the forks, pump pegs on the front for a frame pump, and water bottle cages below the seat. The bottom bracket was placed as low as possible to keep the center of gravity low but still allowing the pedals barely clear the panniers.
Then over the summer of 1980, with supplies, clothing, and cooking wares filling the panniers and his sleeping bag, pad, and tent on a belt around his waist he rode the Pacific Coast route from the Canadian border at Blaine, Washington making it 1200 miles to Santa Barbara, California before he had to return to school for the fall classes. His ride was completely self-supported, he met up with friends and other jugglers along the way and called ahead to the towns to be sure a reporter was there to chronicle his journey, but otherwise no sag wagon or daily assistance.
On June 11, 1983 Ben and I were in the same commencement ceremony at UW. My unicycle was in my trunk; Ben’s was close by behind a door. When the engineering group proceeded forward, Ben got his unicycle and rode right up the ramp to receive his diploma! It was a major hit! You’ll see the photo in a little bit, he put a smile on a lot of faces.
Two months later Ben moved to Nicaragua as one of the thousands of Internationalists who went there in the ‘80’s. As an engineer he found his niche providing power to villages through small hydro-electric projects. Unfortunately, in 1987 Ben was the first American killed in the war going on at that time. He is the subject of a book published in 1999 titled “The Death of Ben Linder” by Joan Kruckewitt.
Ben’s unicycling is a prominent part of the book, but not the main subject. There is a photo of him on the Pacific Coast trip across from the title page and a unicycle graphic in the title page. The opening sequence of the book is the graduation story and the book tells how more than once he used his unicycle and clowning to attract children for immunizations. He also was somewhat involved with the local circus; one story is of him gifting his only unicycle to one of the performers for their 18th birthday (His parents brought another one down for him later).
The main subject of the book is Ben’s life in Nicaragua and the circumstances leading to his death. Because he kept a journal, was a prolific letter writer, and had many close friends the book is quite detailed. The book is also about the horror of war and is very frank in its images, stories and message. I found it interesting but sometimes hard to read because I knew him, terrible things happen in war.
While researching for this brief biography of Ben as a unicyclist I contacted his brother, who then put me in contact with his mother. I wanted to photograph his custom giraffe but found it had also been gifted to the circus; his mother provided me with a couple copies of color photos from his trip though. I also found out that Ben almost didn’t do the 1980 trip because he couldn’t self-mount. After encouragement from his friends and family he did learn to self mount and the trip is history.
I have made up an album of the photos from his family, the book, the web, and my personal collection; additional information is in the gallery:
http://www.unicyclist.com/gallery/albuo32
One thing I have not found out yet is whether Ben was a member of the Unicycling Society of America or if his trip was ever mentioned in On One Wheel. If any of you know please post it here or send me a PM.
Ben really did love people and left deep impressions with everyone he met. Even though we were just casual friends, I remember him often.
I hope you found these bits of unicycling history informative and interesting.
Steve DeKoekkoek