The first thing to catch my eye was a diamond frame uni, built only
last week. The guy who built it had bent the front fork on his bike and
decided to make a unicycle with what was left. The result, if you can
picture it, is a chain driven diamond frame unicycle (with 1:1 gearing)
with the wheel at the bottom point (i.e. the frame is rotated around 90
degrees from the bike orientation), the pedals at the front, the saddle
on top and a handlebar just behind the saddle. He's planning to put
another saddle on the back, so that he can also ride with the pedals down
and the handlebar in front.
I managed to get on the machine after a few tries (holding onto a
pillar), which was considerable more than most people could manage, but I
couldn't go anywhere. The guy who built it was riding around quite
happily and even free mounting by the end of the weekend. It's actually
very comfortable - almost a recumbent unicycle. And it looks incredibly
stylish. I've a feeling I'll be seeing more of them at conventions to come.
The highlight of the convention for me was a 27" uni geared up to 42"
equivalent. It was built by Bob and Sam Knight, the same guys who built
the 3 speed giraffe featured in The Catch last year. Sam actually broke
his arm soon after building the new machine, when he fell off and
couldn't run fast enough to catch himself. He did a lap of the running
track on Saturday - the thing goes like a bomb. Like the previous
machine, I managed to get on but couldn't go anywhere, though I suspect
that if the saddle had gone half an inch lower or if I'd been wearing
thicker soled shoes I may have done better. The real problem is that
it's very difficult to hover. The uni just goes shooting off backwards.
Another thing that caught my eye (in the Traders' Hall) was the new
MUni from the Ugly Juggling company. It looks much like a DM Ringmaster,
except that it had square shoulders. And the thing I really loved was
the braze-ons for a water bottle. All for the bargain price of 95 quid.
And in one of the gyms I saw a uni with a kick stand. This rotates
around the axle. A square of plastic held on by a metal fork flips down,
allowing the uni to be held up by the fork. When it's not in use, the
stand flips up and the plastic square slots around the post.
Cardiff next month. I can hardly wait.
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| Danny Colyer | bs1dwc@bath.ac.uk | To drop is human, |
| University of Bath | ----------------- | To juggle is divine. |
-------------------- http://www.bath.ac.uk/~bs1dwc/ --------------------