Unicyclists in Las Vegas

General
1

Hello,

Since it’s waay past midnight I figured it’s a good time to put off going to bed and spend time posting.

Anyway, my family recently moved to the North Las Vegas area, and I just thought to ask who unicycles in Las Vegas. I know I can visit Circus Circus, but I’d rather find someone I can actually enjoy riding with :slight_smile:

The area I live in is about as far north as you get in North Las Vegas… if you’re in central Las Vegas, and you take Martin L. King north until it turns into Camino Al Norte (cross street Craig), then you’re not far from where I am.

Happy riding!

2

RE: Unicyclists in Las Vegas

> Anyway, my family recently moved to the North Las Vegas area, and I just
> thought to ask who unicycles in Las Vegas. I know I can visit Circus
> Circus, but I’d rather find someone I can actually enjoy riding with :slight_smile:

Maybe I can bring a unicycle sometime when I come out with a group? They
like to spend too much time “donating money to the casinos” and breathing
cigarette air. For me that’s fun for a while, but not so much! So I could
probably get away to do some riding.

What kind of riding do you like to do?

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

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

3

What types of riding do I like to do?

I’ve tried a little bit of everything, and when it comes down to it, I spend most of my time practicing freestyle skills. On a no-name 20" it’s the most gratifying. The unicycle has held up very well with all of the torture I give it, but trials and Muni tend to wear out the cotter pins a bit faster than hop-less skills. The big problem is… I bought 9mm cotter pins from a local bikeshop, and they were a bit small… after about two days of rough riding they work their way all the way through and past the axle, rendering themselves useless. So I thought I must have 9.5mm pins (it’s a bit hard to tell without calipers), and I ordered 3 pair from good ol’ unicycle.com. Turns out, they’re not a whole lot bigger. When I pound the pin in, it’s still flush with the crank arm… better than actually sinking in. I imagine they’ll last quite a bit longer, but since that’s the biggest size unicycle.com has to offer, it’s getting harder for me to maintain the old beast.

Distance rides are not so great on a 20"… well, I shouldn’t say that… they’re still great, it’s just that I don’t cover as much ground in the same time as with a larger wheel. I hope to get either a 28" or Coker this summer. Still need to make that air-seat…

So now there are two unicycles on the wish list… a freestyler and a people mover.

Much of my time lately has been on the giraffe… the other night I finally decided to put less effort on practicing the free-mount (which is at about 50%), and more effort on “on-top” skills. I managed to go backward for much longer than before, and idled one-footed. Nothing amazingly difficult, I just hadn’t done them before up high.

Since we just moved here, I haven’t scouted out a good Muni place, but my brother is involved in the scouting program (as an adult leader), so he’ll know good places to go. I know they exist, and not very far, but I just haven’t gone.

Enjoy your day!

4

To extend my already generously long message, I have decided to ask even more questions. In considering to buy a new unicycle, one must always ask the opinion of other unicyclists. I think I have already made this decision three or four times, but I have lost my confidence again, and must ask. I also realize there are countless similar posts in the archives, but 1. I want a custom-fit version and 2. I’m already typing the post and lack desire to dig through archives.

Most of my time spent unicycling during the school year is around campus. A slightly hilly one at that, especially the commute to and from. I’d say it’s a 3 or 4% grade. It’s probably about a mile one way. So, is it better to have a Coker or a 28"/700c unicycle for traveling to and from and around campus? Remember that it can be populated with its 30,000 students at times, and it can be desirable to walk and push through the dense crowds. Most of the time I can find empty walkways, but I am used to maneuvering about on a 20 incher. Do you think I will be satisfied with the speed increase on a 28"? Will the Coker be too much of a sped jump, too cumbersome to go uphill and turn corners?

Now for the other contraption. What is the best 20" freestyler to get? Even better what are your favorites? I need a good crown, as I want to learn stand-up skills. It must also support the uni-spin feature and have automatic coasting (j/k).

I’m not terribly ready to spend big bucks on either of these, but give me the expensive options as well.

Thanks again!

5

Three or four percent grade? Where’s the hilly part? One mile each way? Where’s the distance? Get a Coker. You’re on flat ground there.

6

Las Vegas riders?
Well I know a couple…
But all are not really in a practice mood.
Anyway, supply me your e-mail-address and I’ll see what I can do.

7

RE: Unicyclists in Las Vegas

> of the torture I give it, but trials and Muni tend to wear out the
> cotter pins a bit faster than hop-less skills.

Cotter pins! That’s an older unicycle. Yes, they can be a pain. When
cotterless came along it was a nice improvement. Another possible source for
cotter pins, if the ones from Unicycle.com aren’t working out, is the
Unicycle Factory, Tommy Miller. He’s only a phone call away, at (765)
452-2692. He has lots of old inventory lying around, which probably includes
the pins you need to fit.

You can use a punch or other narrow object to pound your pins in beyond
being flush with the surface, but of course the pin is done being useful
when the end of the threaded part comes out the other side.

Then, depending how old and beat up your cycle is, you can use the solution
often used by professional performers and other serious unicyclists in the
old days. Have the cranks welded on. No more problems, as long as the wheel
holds up!

> Since we just moved here, I haven’t scouted out a good Muni place, but
> my brother is involved in the scouting program (as an adult
> leader), so he’ll know good places to go. I know they exist,
> and not very far, but I just haven’t gone.

Good luck finding one with decent shade, though… :slight_smile: I’ve been to the
Valley of Fire, but not Red Rock Canyon. I doubt that cycling is allowed in
the interesting parts of those parks though.

Stay on top,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com <http://www.unicycling.com>

“This unicycle is made all from lightweight materials. But it uses a lot of
them.” – Cliff Cordy, describing the very heavy new prototype unicycle he
brought on the Downieville Downhill

8

Re: Unicyclists in Las Vegas

Hi Tron,

— tron <tron.6s1vy@timelimit.unicyclist.com> wrote:
> Since we just moved here, I haven’t scouted out a good Muni place, but
> my brother is involved in the scouting program (as an adult leader), so
> he’ll know good places to go. I know they exist, and not very far, but
> I just haven’t gone.
>

There is really good MUni and trials around the Las Vegas area. I’ve only ridden there a few days
but did have one great day on the drive out towards the loop road at Red Rocks climbing area (the
sport climbing area before Oak Creek Campground). It’s not a great overview shot but this picture
was taken about a 20m drive off the main highway heading out of town towards Red Rocks:
<http://community.webshots.com/photo/9582686/9641746wgjilWgoxe>. This line would be really bad on
cottered cranks but there is a lot of other fun stuff to play on too. I’m not sure how to
describe getting there except to say how we found it- while driving out of town, we spied a red
lump of rocks in the distance, and then just headed towards it on a dirt road.

-Kris.

Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! - Official partner of 2002 FIFA World Cup
http://fifaworldcup.yahoo.com

9

RE: Unicyclists in Las Vegas

> way. So, is it better to have a Coker or a 28"/700c unicycle for
> traveling to and from and around campus?

Is that UNLV? I performed there once, at the 1995 IJA Festival, in the big
auditorium on campus.

The Coker is obviously the faster of the two, but it’s less flexible for
stuff other than getting from here to there. It’s not good to do tricks on,
and it can’t hide under your seat in the classroom. A 28" can probably be
brought inside with little or no comment from authorities, and you can also
use it for tricks & stuff (just don’t get a real skinny wheel).

With your relatively short commute and the need to zip around campus, the
28"/700C is what I would probably lean toward.

> Now for the other contraption. What is the best 20"
> freestyler to get?

Easy. A Paul Wyganowski frame. I just got my new one, and have been having
fun coasting around and tottering around doing the stand-up wheel walk that
was much harder with my beat-up old freestyle uni with its 24" frame. It has
a nice place to put your feet. It’s a bit expensive though.

Notching down from there I think I’d recommend the Miyata standard (version
with Primo tire). A close competitor of that one is the Semcycle XL with one
of the upgraded wheels (there are a few choices). The Miyata Deluxe is also
nice, but doesn’t have as much foot support as these other two. Between the
two of those, it’s mostly a choice of seats. I prefer the Miyata seat,
though the handle can get in the way for certain tricks. Some riders cut
them off on their strictly-freestyle unicycles.

The DM Ringmaster Advanced also has a good frame to put your feet on, but
it’s a little heavy and expensive. For the price, it can’t compete with the
Wyganowski.

Enjoy,
John Foss, the Uni-Cyclone
jfoss@unicycling.com
www.unicycling.com <http://www.unicycling.com>

“This unicycle is made all from lightweight materials. But it uses a lot of
them.” – Cliff Cordy, describing the very heavy new prototype unicycle he
brought on the Downieville Downhill

10

Re: RE: Unicyclists in Las Vegas

The stock DM Ringmaster Advanced is a tank. It uses an overbuilt steel seatpost and a rather heavy seat. The frame itself isn’t that heavy. I put a Miyata seat on my Ringmaster Advanced and the weight issue went away. The DM uses a 25.0 seatpost so putting a Miyata seat on it required that I get a customized Miyata seatpost to fit it. A custom 25.0 to 22.2 shim would also be an option for fitting a normal unicycle seatpost on the DM.

The feature that I like best about the DM is that it can fit a fatter 20" tire. I am using a 2.1" Primo The Wall tire in mine. The frame could actually fit a 2.2" or 2.25" tire if I could find a good freestyle nonmarking tire in that size. Most other freestyle frames can barely fit a 1.85" tire (the clearance with the 1.85" can be really tight, if the rim goes out of true the tire may rub the frame). I like fatter tires and that’s what sold me on the DM.

The main difference you’ll see in the various freestyle frames is how big the crown is and how close the crown is to the tire. Someone who actually does standup skills would have to comment on the pros and cons of the various frames and crowns for the standup stuff.

I won’t argue with the fact that the DM is spendy. Especially after taking into account the extra cost for upgrading the seat and seatpost. A more budget mindful freestyle uni would be a Miyata standard or Sem XL. Then there is the Miyata with a custom seatpost extension by Paul Wyganowski. And then there is the full blown custom Wyganowski frame.

Are you going to be at UNICON? UNICON would give you a chance to check out the various freestyle unicycles and see for yourself what you like best.

john_childs

11

Good stuff to know, thanks for the replies.

I’ve had my eyes on the Wyganowski for quite some time, and I’m sure I’d love it, but I almost can’t justify spending that much because this is more of a leisure sport for me at this point, not performance. I’d love to perform, but I don’t think I’m refined enough yet. So I’ll probably go with the Miyata or Semcycle XL until I’m better practiced and won’t be destroying the nice Wyganowski with too many falls (not that I drop the unicycle much right now, but I imagine that will happen again when I go for the more advanced stuff).

As far as UNICON goes, I want to, but I don’t know the details (especially when)… need to look them up and figure out if it’s a possibility. It sounds like this would be the best year to go, since it’s so close.

No, John, it’s not UNLV… I actually go to BYU in Utah, I’m just in Vegas for the summer.

As far as cotter pins go… as soon as I use up my supply of 8 or so too-small ones, I may go for the welding. Not sure though, as the wheel is degrading… spokes are starting to “crackle and pop.” Need to find a good bike shop to tune it up. That’s always a fun experience, as they take the cycle by the frame with a funny, confused look on their face, trying to figure out a way to put it in their bike clamp. Then they just put the seatpost in and clamp it down as much as it will, which really isn’t much on a 22.2mm, so it just kinda dangles as they fiddle with it.

Just found out that my brother has a friend with welding abilities, so that option is very possible and very tempting now.

12

Re: Unicyclists in Las Vegas

John Foss <john_foss@asinet.com> wrote:
>> Now for the other contraption. What is the best 20"
>> freestyler to get?

> Easy. A Paul Wyganowski frame. I just got my new one, and have been having
> fun coasting around and tottering around doing the stand-up wheel walk that
> was much harder with my beat-up old freestyle uni with its 24" frame. It has
> a nice place to put your feet. It’s a bit expensive though.

> Notching down from there I think I’d recommend the Miyata standard (version
> with Primo tire). A close competitor of that one is the Semcycle XL with one
> of the upgraded wheels (there are a few choices). The Miyata Deluxe is also
> nice, but doesn’t have as much foot support as these other two. Between the
> two of those, it’s mostly a choice of seats. I prefer the Miyata seat,
> though the handle can get in the way for certain tricks. Some riders cut
> them off on their strictly-freestyle unicycles.

> The DM Ringmaster Advanced also has a good frame to put your feet on, but
> it’s a little heavy and expensive. For the price, it can’t compete with the
> Wyganowski.

What about a Pichlerad? Mine cost about 120 quid a couple of years
ago. Good crown for one-foot/stand-up stuff (not that I can do
much of that myself) and not too heavy. It is a lovely frame
with excellent bearing housings and a good quality (NK) hub.

Paul

Paul Selwood
paul@vimes.u-net.com http://www.vimes.u-net.com

13

I just had a e-mail of an friend from the Czech republic. Years ago he learned me to unicycle. I have’nt seen him a couple of years… but he writes me that he is now with his family performing in circus-circus in Las Vegas. Opposit to much other circus artists he (Emil Faltyny j.r.) is always in for a practise.