# dude on unicycle **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 24, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148 "2013-10-24T19:14:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/1 "2013-10-24T19:14:53Z")
Saw something weird. A guy riding a unicycle down the street in traffic. Looked like a good way to get run over to me. I avoid my bicycle on heavy traffic roads. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/2 "2013-10-24T19:37:47Z")
That is pretty weird. Was he juggling bowling pins at the same time? Ah, I bet his unicorn was in the shop. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/3 "2013-10-24T19:43:06Z")
Yesterday at the Ogilvie Train Station in Chicago I saw a kiosk set up selling unicycles for this sort of purpose. ---
**Author:** ![GrandWino](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grandwino/32/67_2.png) [@GrandWino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrandWino)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/4 "2013-10-24T20:16:54Z")
I’m on an early train so I was able to snap a pic of the unicycle kiosk. They’re called Commute Connect. [![](https://i.imgur.com/4NremX8.jpg) ](https://i.imgur.com/4NremX8.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/5 "2013-10-24T20:24:24Z")
I saw a guy on a unicycle, full lycra gear etc. halfway up the [Grossglockner](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grossglockner_High_Alpine_Road) pass in Austria. Mental. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/6 "2013-10-24T20:32:39Z")
Trust me, they do worse - [Extreme Mountain Unicycling - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUZuyMVdVcc) ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/7 "2013-10-24T20:45:37Z")
This guy used to ride his bike with no front wheel around town in Tuscaloosa, AL. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/vqNoCu7k-pk/maxresdefault.jpg "GeminiWheelieKingAlabama") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqNoCu7k-pk) ---
**Author:** ![knel3030](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecae2f/32.png) [@knel3030](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knel3030)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/8 "2013-10-24T20:50:44Z")
That’s a pretty good way to become a unismear on the road. Maybe he was a circus performer having a breakdown. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/9 "2013-10-24T20:52:13Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > I’m on an early train so I was able to snap a pic of the unicycle kiosk. They’re called Commute Connect. > > [Imgur: The magic of the Internet](http://i.imgur.com/4NremX8.jpg) That is pretty awesome. I just did a little internet research and while it looks like a great product, I’m not so sure it will work as a commuter-bike-share-type thing; there’s got to be some learning curve involved (yes, I realize riding a bike has a significant learning curve, but most people are familiar with and can already ride a bike). Is it easier to learn to ride a unicycle, even a “self-balancing” one, if you can already ride a bike? I’m not really sure it translates, but that’s just my WAG; I’ve never attempted to ride a unicycle, if only from lack of opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![Irishman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b487fb/32.png) [@Irishman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Irishman)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/10 "2013-10-24T21:11:39Z")
That “self-balancing” unicycle is just a sitting version of the Segway. The wheelie guy at least has the advantage of handle bars to help balance and direct where he wants to go. He can help control his steering by controlling his leaning. ---
**Author:** ![Llama\_Llogophile](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@Llama\_Llogophile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Llama_Llogophile)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/11 "2013-10-24T23:08:52Z")
Hey, don’t knock it - I met my future wife while I was riding down the street on a unicycle. True story. And not the wussy self balancing kind… ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/12 "2013-10-25T01:39:28Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > That is pretty awesome. I just did a little internet research and while it looks like a great product, I’m not so sure it will work as a commuter-bike-share-type thing; there’s got to be some learning curve involved (yes, I realize riding a bike has a significant learning curve, but most people are familiar with and can already ride a bike). > > Is it easier to learn to ride a unicycle, even a “self-balancing” one, if you can already ride a bike? I’m not really sure it translates, but that’s just my WAG; I’ve never attempted to ride a unicycle, if only from lack of opportunity. They had a piece on the local news about these. They had the weather guy, who doesn’t know how to ride a bike try it. He was pretty scared\*, but managed to stay upright. \*Screamed like a nine year old girl. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/13 "2013-10-25T02:17:08Z")
I’m getting a mental image of the dudes riding stone wheels in BC. ---
**Author:** ![Ferret\_Herder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e47774/32.png) [@Ferret\_Herder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferret_Herder)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/14 "2013-10-25T02:45:38Z")
> [@Bob Ducca](#): > > Yesterday at the Ogilvie Train Station in Chicago I saw a kiosk set up selling unicycles for this sort of purpose. That’s wild! They don’t have that down the street at Union Station. Hijack: Last time I saw a unicyclist, I was at the Farmer’s Market in Madison 2 weeks ago - there was a guy wearing a Darth Vader uniform/kilt combo in black/red/white (red and white being the University of Wisconsin - Madison colors), playing the Imperial March on bagpipes, while unicycling. Pretty damned awesome. ---
**Author:** ![orderfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/orderfire/32/10908_2.png) [@orderfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/orderfire)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2013, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/15 "2013-10-25T13:09:23Z")
There’s some dude with a unicycle who I guess works here on campus - he parks his car, takes the uni out of the trunk, puts on his jacket, grabs his briefcase, jumps on and wheels off to class. It is very hilarious to see him wheeling uphill towards the center of campus, and I’m sure he’s getting the core workout most of us can only dream of. ---
**Author:** ![DummyGladHands](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@DummyGladHands](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DummyGladHands)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/16 "2013-10-26T05:58:29Z")
I live on a mountain. There’s people that regularly mountain bike on unicycles. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2013, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dude-on-unicycle/672148/17 "2013-10-26T06:16:32Z")
In a span of about 60 seconds, I ran into 1) someone on a unicycle, 2) someone (alone) on a tandem. I knew both of them personally, but wasn’t expecting either.