Gizmodo: unicycle

Unicycle Built For Two: Cool Design and Sign of the Times

Brian Barrett — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 11:20:00 EST

It's a neat-looking concept Corbin Dunn came up with, as far as cycling death-traps go. But in this economy, it's also practical for couples who'd rather not splurge on extravagances like a second wheel. UPDATED: Now with instructions and video!

For coolness factor, I'd put this tandem unicycle somewhere between Bi-Cycle tandem bike and the Face-to-Face, while for pure crazy it's just shy of the Uno bike in single-wheel formation. Unfortunately, Corbin forgot to save his "great post about the construction details," so you're on your own for now building a tandem unicycle for you and your sweetheart. I'm pretty sure that step one was "lose all rational sense of physical limitations," so feel free to get a head start on that until the full instruction list is up.

UPDATE: Full instructions, if you've got sufficient wild abandon, can be found here. [Corbin's Treehouse via LikeCool via OhGizmo!]

Uno Bike Goes From Stunningly Cool to Stupidly Ridiculous in 0.5 Seconds

Jesus Diaz — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 15:47:00 EST

Check this cool bike out. It was a concept last year, and now it's a reality. Pretty amazing, huh? Yes? Well, WRONG. Check it running and see why:

See what I mean? As soon as the Uno hits 20mph, the Kaneda-worthy red metal bullet transforms into this... this... this vehicle for the Ringling Bros. clown troupe? Except that not even a clown will ride it. The inventor, Ben Gulak, says that it's all for a good reason:

The original Uno was quite scary to speed up on. This is a much more user-friendly experience.

Sounds good to me, and the engineering seems quite neat, but why do you need an unicycle in the first place, then? [Popsci]

Self-Balancing Electric Unicycle to Make Clowns, Attention-Seekers Even Less Impressive

Dan Nosowitz — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 11:30:00 EDT

The Electric Self-Balancing Unicycle, or SBU, uses gyroscopes, accelerometers, and good clean electric power to make everyone's favorite one-wheeled method of transport accessible to those who don't want to bother with all that messy balancing and pedaling. Sure, unicycle purists will scoff, but now you can finally check "ride a unicycle" off your bucket list without wasting any time learning how to actually ride one. [Focus Designs]

Little Seiko Unicycling Robot Caught On Video, Unicycling Straight Into Your Heart

Kit Eaton — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 06:28:00 EDT

Here's video of Murata's Little Seiko balancing robot up to its tricks on a unicycle. It's a smart little thing: as well as balancing on that single wheel with nifty gyro and counterbalance robotic action, it can do collision avoidance. And boy, if it isn't the cutest little robot you ever did see. [Bot Junkie]

Future Victim of Everest to Ride Down Mountain on a Unicycle

Sean Fallon — Mon, 15 Sep 2008 13:45:00 EDT

The words "extreme" and "unicycle" should never be uttered in the same breath—unless you are referring to British mountaineer Steve Colligan. Starting next week he will attempt to traverse a 600-mile stretch of the Himalayas from Lhasa in Tibet to Kathmandu in Nepal, via Everest base camp riding on a mountain unicycle.

At 47 years old, Colligan has decided to attempt the record-breaking feat in order to raise money for a school in Nepal (and undoubtedly to become the greatest unicyclist of all-time). He plans on achieving this dangerous feat with his trusty distance unicycle, fitted with an off-road tire. No word on whether he will sport a wig, parachute pants and a clown nose during the attempt. You laugh, but it could help keep him warm up there. [Metro]

Unicycle Transport Vehicle: Like a Segway, Only Lamer and Sweatier

Sean Fallon — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:30:00 EDT

This unicycle transport vehicle by designer Regimantas Vegele is tailor made for an unique breed of individual—the kind of person that cares about looking good, but does not care about looking foolish. Essentially, the device would take the concept of an elliptical trainer and turn it into an actual moving vehicle. So traveling would involve pedaling and moving your arms—sort of a hybrid between cycling and cross country skiing. It's not a bad concept from an exercise standpoint, but I have a hard time believing that there would be any sort of market for something like this.

[Yanko]