Road unicycling

About

Figure 1: Three road unicyclists

Road unicycling is a type of unicycling ridden on roads (unsurprisingly).

Road unicycles

Figure 2: A 36" unicycle with a T7 handle

Unlike other types of unicycling the aim is to cover distance which means road unicycles need to be designed a little differently. Most unicycles are "fixed gear" which means 1 revolution on the cranks gives 1 revolution of the wheel (as opposed to a geared bicycle where 1 rotation of the cranks can give multiple rotations of the wheel) which means to travel a good distance the radius of the wheel needs to be sufficient.

Most road unicycles have a wheel (~ effective diameter) size between 29"-36" to allow their riders to travel a reasonable distance. An example of a road unicycle is shown in figure 2. The handle allows the rider to hold on to something whilst they lower themselves to become a little more streamlined. The handle is also useful because you can attach extra stuff to it like a bag, lights, etc.

Examples of road unicycling

• A race at UNICON
• Unicycling in the streets of Manhattan

This page was last updated:Tuesday 24th November 2009