Unicycles on the London Underground

[Dave Larrington]

JNugent wrote:

> Is it known that any are in use as pukka transport?

I quite often see a chap riding through Stoke Newington / Dalston / Hoxton
on one. He has a beard and an excellent hat.

--
Dave Larrington - <http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/>
My only hope in life is to die before I get my comeuppence.

 

[Ian F.]

"Malcolm & Nika" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...

> Keep up.....caps are no longer a part of the uniform.

My Oyster card has a cap on.

Ian

 

[Helen Deborah Vecht]

"JNugent" <[email protected]>typed


> I have not seen another these last... thirty+ years?

> Is it known that any are in use as pukka transport?

An 11-year-old girl cycled to school on one recently. She has her
photograph in the latest Camden New Journal.

--
Helen D. Vecht: [email protected]
Edgware.

 

[Ian Smith]

On Tue, 24 May, JNugent <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ian Smith wrote:
>
> > Neither does my unicycle. Nor is it covered in black grease (or any
> > other sort of grease). There's a small amount of grease sealed within
> > the pedals, and an even smaller amount sealed within the cartridge
> > bearings.
>
> > The tyre, pedal ends and seat (ie, all extremities) are all black
> > rubber, so not liable to scratch dig or gouge anything.
>
> ...but still containing enough road dirt to be easily able to foul the
> clothing of an adjacent passenger, perhaps on their way to a night out?

Oh, _road_dirt_? You mentioned hardened steel spikes meaning that
well-known sub-class of hardened steel spikes, "road dirt". Or is
"road dirt" a superset of hardened steel spikes? I forget. Whatever.

Yep, I agree. Loads more road dirt on pretty much all my rucksacks
than on the unicycle. I'm all for banning road dirt from the
underground.

Everyone must henceforth take off their shoes at the top of the
escalators.

> Whatever your views on where the balance should be struck between
> the rights of cyclist passengers and the rights of pedestrian
> passengers, you *can* see why bikes (and, if appropriate, unicycles)
> are banned on the Underground? > >

I understand some reasons. None of them are to do with hardened steel
spikes, black grease, or for that matter, road dirt.

Anyway, on the basis of my experience, it seems that there is no
restriction on the carriage of unicycles on any part of the
underground at any time.

regards, Ian SMith

 

[Ian Smith]

["Followup-To:" header set to uk.rec.cycling.]
On Tue, 24 May, Just zis Guy, you know? <[email protected]> wrote:

> And yea, I have
> seen a man ride a yike pushing along a front fork and wheel with
> handlebars attacked. He was a clown, not a commuter.

I have a front wheel for my unicycle somewhere. I haven't seen it in
a while, so I suspect it's in my parent's other garage.

It's a trivial job to take a small-wheel bike, remove fork, weld a
tube between top of steerer and bottom of stem. Assuming you have
pretty much any welding equipment, of course.

regards, Ian SMith

 

[JNugent]

Dave Larrington wrote:

> JNugent wrote:

>> Is it known that any are in use as pukka transport?

> I quite often see a chap riding through Stoke Newington / Dalston /
> Hoxton on one. He has a beard and an excellent hat.

I should think he *would* have!

At least!

 

[JNugent]

Ian Smith wrote:

> On Tue, 24 May, JNugent <[email protected]> wrote:
>> Ian Smith wrote:

>>> Neither does my unicycle. Nor is it covered in black grease (or any
>>> other sort of grease). There's a small amount of grease sealed
>>> within the pedals, and an even smaller amount sealed within the
>>> cartridge bearings.

>>> The tyre, pedal ends and seat (ie, all extremities) are all black
>>> rubber, so not liable to scratch dig or gouge anything.

>> ...but still containing enough road dirt to be easily able to foul
>> the clothing of an adjacent passenger, perhaps on their way to a
>> night out?

> Oh, _road_dirt_? You mentioned hardened steel spikes meaning that
> well-known sub-class of hardened steel spikes, "road dirt". Or is
> "road dirt" a superset of hardened steel spikes? I forget. Whatever.

Road dirt. The stuff that fouls translucent grease and turns it black, as it
does to most of what it comes into contact with, not excluding clothing.

> Yep, I agree. Loads more road dirt on pretty much all my rucksacks
> than on the unicycle. I'm all for banning road dirt from the
> underground.

> Everyone must henceforth take off their shoes at the top of the
> escalators.

>> Whatever your views on where the balance should be struck between
>> the rights of cyclist passengers and the rights of pedestrian
>> passengers, you *can* see why bikes (and, if appropriate, unicycles)
>> are banned on the Underground? > >

> I understand some reasons. None of them are to do with hardened steel
> spikes, black grease, or for that matter, road dirt.

We must differ on that.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, JNugent wrote:
>Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
>
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>> passengers, you *can* see why bikes (and, if appropriate, unicycles)
>>> are banned on the Underground?
>
>> Er, except they aren't.
>
>They are.
>
>Not *completely banned*, but there is a partial ban which is complained of
>in this thread.

I haven't seen anyone complain. Message-id?


>> Non-folding bikes are banned on deep lines,
>> and from subsurface lines at some times of day, folding bikes are not
>> restricted and there is no evidence of any restriction on unicycles.
>
>Except for what the (assumed) LU employee said.

Your idea of "evidence" is that you assume someone said something
unspecified? Why am I not surprised.

 

[Alan Braggins]

In article <[email protected]>, Ian Smith wrote:
>>
>> Do rucksacks also have hardened steel sharp bits sticking out and/or
>> covered in black grease as well?
>
>None of my rucksacks have hardened steel sharp bits sticking out
>(unless, I suppose, I put a hardened steel sharp thing that's too big
>to fit entirely inside partly within the rucksack).

Some of my rucsacs have loops specifically to carry sharp steel things
(ice axes and crampons) on the outside of them.

 

[Tony Raven]

JNugent wrote:
>
>
> Perhaps I would be surprised. In fact, if there are many around at all (and
> you seem to be saying so), I am already surprised.
>

I've got one, Guy has one IIRC, Danny and Ian have one* So quite a few
I here I can think of off the top of my head.


--
Tony

* one meaning at least one in this context.

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)

 

[LSMike]

"Tony Raven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> JNugent wrote:
>>
>>
>> Perhaps I would be surprised. In fact, if there are many around at all
>> (and
>> you seem to be saying so), I am already surprised.
>>
>
> I've got one, Guy has one IIRC, Danny and Ian have one* So quite a few I
> here I can think of off the top of my head.
>

I see more unicycles more often than I do recumbents in Hyde Park.

 

[Danny Colyer]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> TfL's website only refers to
> restrictions on *unfolded bicycles*. In fact it says "To take a bike
> on public transport *without restriction*, you need to invest in a
> folding cycle" (my emphasis) which clearly implies that folding bikes
> are exempt.

If the restrictions applied to *unfolded cycles*, one would just have to
get a folding unicycle:
<URL:http://www.unicycle.uk.com/shop/shopdisplayproduct.asp?catalogid=570>

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Danny Colyer]

JNugent wondered:
> Is it known that any are in use as pukka transport?

I used to commute and shop regularly by unicycle. I still do so
occasionally. I know others who commute by unicycle. In London, Joe
Marshall is well known for it (at least in the unicycling community):
<URL:http://gallery.unicyclist.com/albuw48>

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Danny Colyer]

Just zis Guy, you know? wrote:
> Only giraffes have chains, they are not usually considered suitable
> for commuting

They can be. A practical commuting machine needs reasonable gearing.
There are 3 ways to increase the gearing on a unicycle:

1) Get a bigger wheel.

2) Get a unicycle with a hub gear.
e.g. <URL:http://www.schlumpf.ch/uni_engl.htm>

3) Build a geared up giraffe.
e.g. <URL:http://abram.atypedigital.com/2005/photos/projects/giraffe/>
(I believe this one is geared up from 20" to 40").

Big wheels are harder to control, particularly with a side wind.
Although I use the Coker (36") when I commute by unicycle, a geared up
26" or 29" would probably be better.

A hub geared yike is probably a better machine for commuting than a
giraffe, simply because it's lower, but a giraffe is easier to build.
It doesn't have to be a high giraffe, it only needs to be a few inches
higher than a standard unicycle.

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Danny Colyer]

Ian Smith wrote:
> It's a trivial job to take a small-wheel bike, remove fork, weld a
> tube between top of steerer and bottom of stem. Assuming you have
> pretty much any welding equipment, of course.

Or just saw the headset off the frame and keep the steerer/headset/fork
combination intact. Which is what I did. No welding required.

My grandad told me about a friend of his, many years ago, who used to
join a unicycle to a set of handlebars using bits of old inner tube. He
apparently managed to arrange them so that it didn't look too different
from a bike, until he moved the handlebar and the whole frame flopped or
bent. I really must get round to trying that some time...

--
Danny Colyer (the UK company has been laughed out of my reply address)
<URL:http://www.speedy5.freeserve.co.uk/danny/>
"He who dares not offend cannot be honest." - Thomas Paine

 

[Ian Smith]

On Tue, 24 May 2005, JNugent <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ian Smith wrote:
>
> > Oh, _road_dirt_? You mentioned hardened steel spikes meaning that
> > well-known sub-class of hardened steel spikes, "road dirt". Or is
> > "road dirt" a superset of hardened steel spikes? I forget. Whatever.
>
> Road dirt. The stuff that fouls translucent grease and turns it black, as it
> does to most of what it comes into contact with, not excluding clothing.

Really? I did actually have some vague notion about what you might
mean by the term. What I'm more confused about is why, if road dirt
is what upsets you, you decided to start the conversation by
complaining about non-existent hardened steel spikes.

regards, Ian SMith

 

[Ian Smith]

On Tue, 24 May, Danny Colyer <[email protected]> wrote:
> Ian Smith wrote:
> > It's a trivial job to take a small-wheel bike, remove fork, weld a
> > tube between top of steerer and bottom of stem. Assuming you have
> > pretty much any welding equipment, of course.
>
> Or just saw the headset off the frame and keep the steerer/headset/fork
> combination intact. Which is what I did. No welding required.

I wouldn't expect that to be high enough - I'd want to hold the
handlebars while in an upright position. Hence the tube, to extend
the distance between handlebar and axle.

regards, Ian SMith

 

[Tony Raven]

Ian Smith wrote:
>
> Really? I did actually have some vague notion about what you might
> mean by the term. What I'm more confused about is why, if road dirt
> is what upsets you, you decided to start the conversation by
> complaining about non-existent hardened steel spikes.
>

Its called a tactical repositioning having found yourself on untenable
ground.


--
Tony

"A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought" Lord
Peter Wimsey (Dorothy L. Sayers)

 

[Malcolm & Nika]

OK...so those of you who have endured the crush on , say, the Victoria line
between Finsbury Park and Victoria, everyday at about 08:30 or any other
line for that matter, what do you suggest should be allowed on and what
should be banned? Only people who use the service should be allowed to vote.

Remember also that you're caught in the middle section with your unicycle
and as each new person gets on you are pushed further into the car. You have
a max of 30 seconds to get off at your station and the next lot get on. And
nobody wants to move from the 6 square inches of space they have claimed
because they might not get 6 inches back. Nobody also wants to get dirty,
damaged clothing etc from a large object. Or hurt.
Train can't stop longer than 30 seconds because the longer you delay the
train to exit, the longer the next train is stuck in the tunnel behind and
the temperature is rising. So within 1 minute probably 2 trains have stopped
in the tunnel section before Kings Cross, the longest section. Within 2
minutes of stopping the temperature in a crush loaded train is now 30C. No
air movement.
Should you trip and fall with your unicycle/bike thing the train will be
delayed further whilst assistance is summoned. More heat, more trains
stopped. More people blaming the incompetent underground staff.
All because someone wanted to wind up the peak capped brigade.......OR :
quote "give the jobsworths a headache searching for a rule..."unquote.

"In Washington DC cyclists are advised that they should then leave
their bikes on the train, piling them on the seats, to avoid blocking
the aisles."......
Thats a good idea. As long as its not in the first car and its not crush
loaded and the 800 people behind dont have to wait too long for a space to
be made after the first 100 people have climbed over it. And the pregnant
lady next to it is now going into labour. The 799th person, in the last car,
he has to walk out through the train and then down onto the track, to the
station which is 1 mile away, by then has been waiting 30 minutes to get out
so its now 40C.

But this is all make beleive isn't it.........

"Tom Anderson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news[email protected]...
> Hi alll,
>
> Can you take a unicycle on the London Underground?
>
> Thanks,
> tom
>
> --
> SAWING CHASING CRUNCHING ROBOTIC DEMOLITION

 

[David Hansen]

On 24 May 2005 19:02:36 GMT someone who may be Ian Smith
<[email protected]> wrote this:-

>Really? I did actually have some vague notion about what you might
>mean by the term.

Is there also not road dirt on the wheels of prams and push chairs,
which also have sticking out steel bits?



--
David Hansen, Edinburgh | PGP email preferred-key number F566DA0E
I will always explain revoked keys, unless the UK government
prevents me by using the RIP Act 2000.