Unicycling to the extreme

Unicycling to the extreme
by RACHEL HERGETT


Seeing a person on a unicycle may bring to mind juggling acts, tightropes and circus tricks. Unicycling, however, has developed a new image over the last decade – as a sport driven by the need to find a new challenge.

“I’m sure there’s people that do it to try out for a carnival or to be in parades,” said Steve Bjorklund, owner of Summit Bike and Ski Shop on South Grand Avenue.

A unicycle hangs in the front window of the shop. Inside, they’ll tell you the store sells a handful in the fall and some as Christmas presents.

The main reason Bjorklund sees people intrigued with unicycling is the challenge, and those who really get into the sport are usually the freestyle and trick skier crowd.

Over the years, unicycling has become more competitive. There are team sports, like unicycle basketball or hockey. There are races, tricks and off-road, or mountain unicycling, known as MUni.

Dansun Martin has been unicycling for more than a decade, specializing in urban trials. Trials involve things like navigating obstacles on the streets, climbing and descending stairs, jumping obstacles and balancing along curbs.

A constantly active person, Martin likes to push his own limits. Trials — which mountain unicycling pioneer Kris Holm described as a “function of technical difficulty over short distances” — provide plenty of ways for him to challenge his skills.

Martin said because he is searching for obstacles and not using the unicycle as transportation, he will often walk and carry the unicycle between tricks.

That doesn’t lessen his workout, though. Apart from the challenge of conquering obstacles, unicycles provide better cross-training than bicycles, Martin said, because the unicyclist uses the body’s entire core to balance.

According to health and exercise website Livestrong.com, unicyclists burn on average 329 calories an hour, and simply riding one “demands fitness, balance and concentration.”

Unlike bicycles, unicycles have no chain. Coasting is not an option.

“The pedals are directly connected to the wheel,” Bjorklund explained. “The whole time you’re riding it you’re doing work."

Martin said riders usually have a keen sense of where their bodies are in space and are able to correct for balance on the single point of contact with the ground on the bottom of the wheel.

“It’s definitely not for everybody,” he said.

While some find the physical challenge of unicycling attractive, others, like Joe Manlove, just like to stand out.

“I think maybe it’s the whole hipster thing,” said Manlove, who uses a unicycle as his primary mode of transportation. “Once something becomes popular, like biking, you have to switch to something else.”

Manlove sold his car and committed to taking one wheel around town. He said the snowy winter doesn’t faze him; it just slows him down a little.

“Make no mistake, I do fall down a lot when it’s snowy,” Manlove said.

He started on a generic cruiser unicycle but upgraded when he sold the car. Now, Manlove rides a downhill-specialized unicycle with a 3-inch thick tire on a 24-inch rim. It also has brakes, which he says are useless in town but are helpful when going down trails.

Manlove said the unicycle’s benefits include the fact that with no handlebars, his hands stay nice and warm in his pockets. Plus, people around town are nicer to him.

“On a bike, people honk because they are angry,” he said. “On a unicycle they honk because they’re happy to see you.”

Though they are not yet a common sight, unicyclists in Bozeman may be happy to know they are not alone.

“I know a dozen who ride in one form or another and know of half a dozen more,” Manlove said.

For those interested in starting out, Martin recommends trying a middle-of-the-line unicycle, something costing around $150. Prices for cycles with lighter frames and modifications can be much higher, Bjorklund said, thumbing through catalogs.

Whatever equipment you choose, be sure to give yourself at least a week to learn the basics and start in a place where you have something to hold on to, like a fence, Martin suggested.

Manlove offered some advice of his own: “Invest in a good pair of gloves. You will land on your hands eventually.”

Well, he does mention academics -- below the fold, though.

UM named a top college for winter enthusiasts

By CHELSI MOY of the Missoulian missoulian.com | Posted: Tuesday, December 21, 2010 9:45 am | (3) Comments

A University of Montana student shows her enthusiasm for the local winter recreation scene during graduation. Photo by KURT WILSON/Missoulian

 

U.S. News & World Report has named the University of Montana one of the nation's best colleges for winter enthusiasts.
On a day when the Garden City awoke to four inches of fresh snow, maybe the news comes as no surprise to Missoulians.
UM is accompanied by seven other schools including the University of Colorado - Boulder, Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, Middlebury College in Vermont and Sierra Nevada College near Lake Tahoe.
U.S. News & World Report, which releases college rankings on everything from the cost of tuition to student demographics, recognized UM for its "dogsled races, downhill skiing and cross-country skiing and snowmobiling all within a short distance of campus," wrote Ryan Lytle, the magazine's education web producer.
The write up also touts Missoula's New Year's Eve celebration, "First Night Missoula," a drug-free event involving music, dance, crafts, comedy and an ice sculpture competition.
"We've known for quite some time that many students cite that they love the opportunities for winter sports at all levels from backcountry skiing to our wonderful ski areas around here," said Jed Liston, UM's assistant vice president of enrollment. "That's a factor for (students) coming here."
It's not the only reason, however.
A student's attraction to all outdoor opportunities here is often one of many factors considered when choosing a college, he said. Academics are an equally important factor when choosing where to go to school.
So, while UM is honored to receive such accolades, Liston said students won't decide on a school based off a college rankings list.
"As people look at this list, it develops name recognition," he said. "The students out there saying, ‘I love winter sports,' they'll find that list. And they'll bounce that list off the other things they're looking for. The college selection process is very multi-faceted."
Students' outdoor interests in Missoula go far beyond just winter sports.
"Like many of us in Missoula, students snowboard in the winter and kayak in the summer," Liston said. "The nice thing about our location and western Montana is all of that is accessible. We have a lot of students that do all outdoor sports."
All, perhaps, but human dogsled racing, which is noted in the article as an event celebrated at Dartmouth College.
To view the entire list of colleges for winter enthusiasts, go to http://www.usnews.com/education/best-colleges/slideshows/best-colleges-for-winter-enthusiasts/5. There's an opportunity at the end of the slideshow to vote for the best college for winter enthusiasts.