>I haven't actually seen many unicycles at all, but the brochure I got
>from Unicycling Society of America shows "Sem Abrahams on 72'
>Unicycle". It looks like one of those triangular cross-section
>television antenna masts, with a wheel on one end and a rider on the
>other. Both rider and unicycle have a safety line attached in case of
>a fall. I think I read somewhere that the world's record is now
>around 100 feet.
Steve McPeak rode a 101 foot unicycle around in a circle. I believe
that is an official Guiness world record.
However, many people claim that some of the safety cables weren't
safety cables at all. Some of these cables were thought to be quite
taught forcing the unicycle to move in an oddly perfect circle. I saw
it live on TV many years ago. It dragged on for hours as I recall,
and my attention was divided between it and assembling a big wheel, but
something about it didn't seem quite right. Now I wish I had a video
tape of it just to see; did he really do it all by himself or did
enlist the help of taught cables.
As I recall, the unicycle wheel followed a perfectly round circular
white line on the ground. The play in what appeared to be the chain
drive was huge, maybe 180 degrees. I don't think he could have such
an acute sense of balance. I suspect he really couldn't do it, but
had to cheat for the cameras and his sponsors. The more I think
about it, the less I think he actually did it.
The above concerns the record with safety equipment.
The Guiness record without safety equipment is 31 ft. by Steve McPeak.
This record will never be broken, simply because Guiness decided that
further record attempts would be too dangerous without safety
equipment.
About 10 years later, I saw a guy ride a 36 ft. without safety
equipment on some variety TV program. He didn't think it was so
dangerous. Not long afterward, I heard rumors that he had fallen from
his 36 ft., and depending on who repeated the news, he broke either
his back, arm or leg.
So I'd recommend not riding anything taller than 12 ft. without safety
equipment. You could still get hurt, even severely from a 12 ft.
fall, but You'd probably survive the experience to ride again.
How about talking about biggest diameter big wheel (standard; not
chain driven), rather than tallest unicycle next time?
Thank you,
Ken Fuchs (kfuchs@winternet.com)