Can a unicycle really be called a bike?



hades_leae

Member
Jun 25, 2016
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I just don't see how it can really be compared to a bike just because it has a single wheel and you can ride on it. If I take a ab roller and figure out some way to balance my weight on it and ride around, you wouldn't call it a unicycle.

I might be wrong but what is it classified under? Is it a bike...I never actually knew this.
 
Hmmm... I don't know how the rest will answer but I too am wondering what others think about unicycles. The wheel definitely looks like a bicycle wheel and it also has pedals but I don't know if it can be called a "bike" since it only has one wheel and "bike" is a shortened term for bicycle. I feel like I'm in philosophy class right now. lol I can't wait to read the answers from other members. :)
 
Pardon me if I sound a bit sarcastic. The term bike was derived from the word bicycle which means a vehicle with 2 wheels hence the term bi-cycle. We have here the so called tricycle because it has 3 wheels. With the unicycle, it is a vehicle with only 1 wheel so we cannot call it bicycle. But for classification purposes, I think it is not wrong for a unicycle to fall under bikes. Even tricycles are okay to be classified as bikes.
 
A monocycle is an outdated design completely outclassed by a bicycle, I think they can be considered as an early stage bike but nothing more. I only see the monocycle on clowns riding around a circus.
 
A monocycle is an outdated design completely outclassed by a bicycle, I think they can be considered as an early stage bike but nothing more. I only see the monocycle on clowns riding around a circus.

I have never even heard of that, but when you say clowns and circuses, I'm thinking it's like really tall or something. I think that it may be classified as a bike because it was built to be used as a bike but with just one wheel.

So even though BI means duo, I guess it still falls under that category just because of the name bike.
 
Of course a Unicycle can not be considered a Bicycle, and New York City agrees. It seems that a unicyclist can ride on the sidewalks where as a bicyclist can not.
As a person who has been riding unicycle3 for the last 51 years, now 62, I find them a great form of exercise.
As for what they can do, a search of you-tube may blow your mind. I currently have a municycle, think mountain uni. Or take a imo with a 27 inch tire, add a 2 speed hub by Kris Holm and we are talking 18+MPH. My friend the Unigeezer easily does 100 plus miles in a day, and has done over 150. Also search for Unicon,then in Japan unicycle dancing is a national competition with kids starting out as early as 3 yrs old.
 
My take on this is if it has a wheel and a pedal then it can be called a bicycle even if it's technically not because it could be a unicycle or even a tricycle if it has 3 wheels but generally it is accepted by the public as a kind or form of a Bicycle.
 
There are some added risks for a unicycle and by law, it can't really be classified as a bike because there are certain stipulations for the public and the rider's safety.
 
Pardon me if I sound a bit sarcastic. The term bike was derived from the word bicycle which means a vehicle with 2 wheels hence the term bi-cycle. We have here the so called tricycle because it has 3 wheels. With the unicycle, it is a vehicle with only 1 wheel so we cannot call it bicycle. But for classification purposes, I think it is not wrong for a unicycle to fall under bikes. Even tricycles are okay to be classified as bikes.

That is why it is called as unicycle, not bicycle. I think it is okay to categorized unicycle as a bike, since it has the same mechanism with the bicycle. The only difference is, it has only one wheel.
 
Well I think I can consider it as bike. it's part of the cycle right. :) it's all depends on the wheel, and and all we have to do is to add cycle. :) in our country we have tricycle.
 
Unicycle
Bicycle
Tricycle

Who cares how many wheels it has its a cycle riddenby cyclists. Met quite a few unicyclists and can't say I've ever heard one say, I'm going to ride my BIKE.

This topic seems that it was started by a person who is not very informed when it comes to cycling.