# Those COOL Chinese Unicycles! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [August 25, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150 "2008-08-25T00:38:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/1 "2008-08-25T00:38:31Z")
Just watching the goegous Olympics Closing Ceremonies-those single-wheel cycles are neat-any idea how they are to ride? How do you steer those things? ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/2 "2008-08-25T03:08:11Z")
Assuming they’re just unicycles (I didn’t see the ceremonies, so I don’t know if they were some special sort of “Chinese” unicycles), googling “how to ride a unicycle” gets you to a site like [this.](http://www.unicycling.org/unicycling/howtoride.html) There are others. ETA: the same search string turns up a number of “how to” Youtube videos. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/3 "2008-08-25T03:22:07Z")
For the record, I believe this is what the OP was referring to. It’s picture 5 of 66, if the direct link does not work. [Chinese “Unicycles”](http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/beijing/slideshow/ss.92;_ylt=AqMQkefbN19Z46b8kWapVG2VTZd4#photoViewer=urn%3Anewsml%3Asports.yahoo%2Cgetty%3A20050301%3Aoly%2Cphoto%2C615637f59cc153096c2dd34cab5e8871-getty-81972995dm012_olympics_clos%3A1) ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/4 "2008-08-25T03:36:57Z")
Actually, such things are called “monowheels” or "monocycles.’ > **[Monowheel](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monowheel)** > > A monowheel or uniwheel is a type of one-wheeled, single-track vehicle. Unlike the unicycle, a monowheel consists of a large, hollow wheel that loops above and around the driver. Monowheels are typically powered by an engine as with a motorcycle, with a chassis securing the steering, driver's seat, and propulsion mechanism to the interior of the wheel. > Hand-cranked and pedal-powered monowheels were patented and built in the late 19th century; most built in the 20th and 21st century have been mot... ---
**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:** [August 25, 2008, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/5 "2008-08-25T05:33:36Z")
I’ve seen things like that in parades. It looked like you steer just by leaning. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 5:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/6 "2008-08-25T05:36:26Z")
I was really surprised they could get consistent enough results out of them to use them in the ceremony. It seems like the kind of vehicle where you either fall over or crash into someone half the time. ---
**Author:** ![chacoguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/50afbb/32.png) [@chacoguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chacoguy)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/7 "2008-08-25T14:36:46Z")
**Burning Man!** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/8 "2008-08-25T15:18:17Z")
No, the real danger of a monowheel is called gerbilling. ---
**Author:** ![Daithi\_Lacha](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daithi_lacha/32/5430_2.png) [@Daithi\_Lacha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daithi_Lacha)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/9 "2008-08-25T16:06:09Z")
I had seen these in a Capri Sun commercial of all places, and asked about them here a while back. Per one of the responses I received: [Wheelsurf!](http://www.wheelsurf.nl/) ---
**Author:** ![MikeG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mikeg/32/4329_2.png) [@MikeG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeG)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/10 "2008-08-25T16:09:09Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] No, the real danger of a monowheel is called gerbilling. [/QUOTE] Without even searching I can visualize that effect perfectly 🙂 Imagine a coin doing it’s wobble as it falls over after spinning. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/11 "2008-08-25T16:12:47Z")
[QUOTE=MrDibble] No, the real danger of a monowheel is called gerbilling. [/QUOTE] Just stay away from Richard Gere. ---
**Author:** ![hellpaso](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ecae2f/32.png) [@hellpaso](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hellpaso)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/12 "2008-08-25T16:41:29Z")
my husband and i started cracking up when we saw that. anybody remember the episode of south park where mr/mrs garrison was riding a similar vehicle that he propelled by sucking on an object in the front and having an object likewise inserted on the opposite side of his body??? ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/13 "2008-08-25T18:50:27Z")
[QUOTE=MikeG] Without even searching I can visualize that effect perfectly 🙂 Imagine a coin doing it’s wobble as it falls over after spinning. [/QUOTE] Youtube video of [Monowheel Crash](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtfBRA8xCGE) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/14 "2008-08-25T18:58:21Z")
That looks fairly painful. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [August 25, 2008, 10:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/15 "2008-08-25T22:11:49Z")
[QUOTE=control-z] That looks fairly painful. [/QUOTE] Yeah but it beats the airlines. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2008, 7:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/those-cool-chinese-unicycles/461150/16 "2008-08-27T07:12:31Z")
[QUOTE=MikeG] Without even searching I can visualize that effect perfectly 🙂 Imagine a coin doing it’s wobble as it falls over after spinning. [/QUOTE] No, no, not that - imagine a gerbil that runs too fast in its exercise wheel, so that it starts spinning around inside rather than running on the spot. _That_ is gerbilling.