Discuss: People who unicycle are just trying to look cool.
Just curious as i friend said this to me.
There is an element of truth in it. However, people who are only interested in looking cool rarely select activities to demonstrate their coolness that are as difficult, have as steep a learning curve, are not part of an established “cool” community, and are as unlikely to attract sexual partners, as unicycling is.
Re: What would you say to this?
" …and it WORKS, too!" 
.max
So if that is true, do we look half as cool as a bicyclist?
Possibly. Or maybe just learn/do/be something different.
I took it up because I wanted to get fit, and I didn’t want to go to a gym!
I dunno, which is more maneuverable, a 1985 Dodge mini-van with woody on the side or the 2005 Dodge Viper?
Re: What would you say to this?
that strikes me as one of the ultimate ‘back-handed compliments’
i think i’ll take acception to the ‘…just…’
that’s undeniably a part of it, but by no means the whole
people who unicycle are shyly exhibitionistic
Re: Re: What would you say to this?
in a nutshell!
(Watch my sig!)
Personally, I have never been told, “You are so cool, Alex, cause you ride a unicycle!” I don’t do it for the attention. I do it because its a fun thing to do that is quite challenging, but, in the long run, will allow me to go almost anywhere.
Plus, its physically stimulating, and that’s always a good thing. Gotta stay sexy, know what I mean?
I dont know about you guys, but unicycling attracts girls for me constantly. I’m like beating them off with a stick here.
I gave up on “looking cool” a long time ago. Being a dork is the new cool. …and unicycling is dorky. Wait…did I just go full circle?
looking cool is simply a direct reflection of how you feel you are percieved by your peers. if unicycling is fun for you and boosts your self esteem and your friends admire the fact that you can do it and they simply choose not to then you are cooler for it.
i learned to unicycle becuase i thought it was cool.
I get my share of “that’s so cool”.
Now that you mention it, they’re not saying “you’re so cool”.
Its usually when I’m Cokering past. So, its not me they’re awestruck by, but the beast.
I usually only have time to say “Hey” or “itsalottafun” then I’m gone. wooooosh.
Re: What would you say to this?
I tried to uni better than my dad. Who recieved the uni as a joke.
(That he could ride anything with wheels)
Anyway, I only kept at it cause I could do it.
I really got no ‘cool’ from any of my peers.
But, I was the ‘odd skinny kid outsider from Chicago’.
Nowdays , I just get stupid looks and typical comments.
Not sure why you chose the word “maneuverable” which can be interpreted a couple of ways. On turning circle, the old Caravans were terrible. The Viper is probably better but it’s possible it could also have a large turning circle.
As for handling and high-speed maneuverability, I’m sure there is no contest, though the Viper is more of a muscle car than a zig-zaggy sports car. Kind of like a Corvette.
Just had to speak up for the Caravan. I had an '85 Caravan, but without the “woody” on it. My second Caravan, a '91, had the woody. Which consisted of some pieces of wood-colored molding, and vinyl woodgrain stickers! Those were followed by a much-improved 2000 Caravan, and my current 2004 Toyota Sienna. Minivans rule!
Oh anyway, back to the topic. If I initially rode a unicycle to “look cool,” how come I never looked cool? Cool is in the eye of the beholder. Somebody has to appreciate what you’re doing for you to be considered cool to do it.
Definitely for the appearance of cool (to look cool), people usually don’t do something with such a steep learning curve. In other words, people who are just trying to look cool tend to be posers. We don’t have much room for posers in unicycling.
But more usefully, perhaps the initial question should be treated as a line that needs a clever response. Here’s one suggestion:
Q: You just unicycle to look cool.
A: No, I just unicycle because I look cool.
When I started unicycling it was entirely because it looked like a fun challenge.
After two and a half years, not much has changed. In fact, when I’m riding in public I feel very self-conscious…I’m not the sort of person who likes a whole bunch of strangers watching me. Trials demos are a little different though, I guess because I know that a large part of the audience is genuinely interested in the sport or something like that. They’re also nice because then there’s more than one person riding aroudn with you.
Andrew
Couldn’t have put it better…
On a similar note some guy told me that I unicycle coz it fits into my non-conformist tendencies…Dunno know about that. The first time I saw a unicycle I thought that was real awesome and I have to give it a go.Now I ride coz its great fun…
Only after i started riding I realized that unicycling was “cool” and “different” and what not…
One thing I dislike about unicycling (especially in America) is that you attract so much attention with it. If people consider me cool, then they should do that because of how I am (personality). That I am unicycling might be part of their consideration, but not the reason.
When I unicycle I feel comfortable when I am alone or with other unicyclists. It’s not that I feel uncomfortable in public, but I just don’t want the attention in public because I ride a unicycle.
And beyond that - just today I showed a friend how it looks like when I do a unispin - and he thought that was very lame, and said: switch back to skateboarding, cause skateboarders look very cool when they do hard tricks.
Another thing: Aren’t we all a little attention seeking because we produce approximately 1 movie per day? Or what’s the whole reason behind making unicycle movies and posting them here and showing them to our friends?
Just my 2 cents…
Wogri
I was waiting for someone to mention this. It’s an interesting thought…
That’s not the reason I make movies, but yes I do enjoy posting them here once I do make them. The reason I make movies is partly to play around with video editing, but mainly to have a video record of these good times.
Andrew