Some students get around campus on four wheels, many on two wheels and a select few on just one.
Charlie Wood '10 said he began riding a unicycle in his backyard in Maine two summers ago. He had been interested in the circus arts since junior high, when he learned how to juggle. He then picked up slacklining, which is similar to tightrope walking but on a stretchy rope, and then finally found his niche with unicycling. He bought an entry-level cycle online and began to practice. Using two chairs as a base to balance, he mastered going straight in a few hours. Turns took a week or two.
Once he came to Brown, Wood began to use his unicycle as a mode of transportation. He said the unicycle is convenient because he can keep it in a dorm room and carry it almost anywhere when he's not riding it. That mobility makes unicycles useful for college students, Wood said.
But soon, his interest in the device broadened. "Second semester, it became more of a sport," Wood said. He learned how to do jumps and spins by watching videos online and speaking with other unicyclists.
Though unicycles were invented in the late 18th century, their use has expanded in recent years. The Internet now connects unicyclists from across the globe allowing them to learn new tricks, share advice and find other riders in their area. YouTube is an important resource, as are forums such as Unicyclist.com.
Most unicycle tricks are learned through imitation, so watching people from across the globe means newly developed techniques and stunts can spread rapidly. "It's something you can't really teach people," said Hans Dejong '08, who also uses a unicycle. "You just have to try and try."
Four riding styles have emerged, each with its own cycle design and skill set, Wood said. "Freestyle," in which riders perform spins and flips similar to those done on skateboards, always takes place on flat land. "Trials" riding requires a stronger cycle to support riders doing jumps and dropping off raised platforms. "Offroad" or "MUnis" - an abbreviation for mountain unicycling - requires larger wheels and thicker tires. Riders engaging in "touring," or distance riding, use unicycles with the largest wheels to increase the distance covered with each pedal rotation.
When Dejong was 13 and living in Madagascar, he met a Canadian amateur magician who taught him juggling and tricks. Soon after, he met a Belgian unicyclist and began borrowing his unicycle when he wasn't concentrating on his home schooling, he said. His parents bought him his first unicycle for Christmas.
Dejong rode mostly for fun, once completing a 22-kilometer ride to an extinct volcano, and began learning tricks when he got to Brown. After watching a video from the Twin Cities Unicycle Club, he began practicing at the Olney-Margolies Athletic Center about once a week.
The response from people who see him riding is generally positive, Dejong said, though it is generally more energetic overseas. While living in India, he would ride through markets and villages, always causing excitement among locals.
"The first question people always ask is "How do you brake yourself?"' Dejong said. The wheel, crank and pedals of a unicycle are connected in such a way that the rotation of the crank directly controls the rotation of the wheel. This means that to slow down or stop, the rider pedals slower.
"Once a month people stop me and ask where they can get one," Wood said. "Once a girl asked me to marry her on Thayer Street."
Wood said a more common reaction is for people to step into the street or "dive" out of the way - though he said he has never hit anyone. He said he has sustained only one unicycle-related injury: At the end of last spring, he slipped while attempting a 180-degree turn off a cement block and hit his chin. The injury resulted in a hospital trip and 11 stitches.
"That was not how I imagined my last Saturday at Brown," Wood said.
Dejong also said he's suffered only one cycling injury. While speeding down an extremely steep hill, he lost control of his cycle and one of the pedals hit his foot. The resulting injury caused his foot to become infected.
Wood's favorite tricks are the crank grab or 180-degree rolling hop. The crank grab allows riders to get onto things - like benches or steps - that are higher than they could normally jump by first landing on the crank and then jumping again so that they are on top of the object. Eventually Wood hopes to increase his jump - now 1.5 feet - so that he does not need to use the grab.
Dejong is interested in freestyle and distance riding but dislikes the distinctions between types, describing them as almost cliquish. "I just like to ride," Dejong said. "Charlie (Wood) can do wicked stuff I want to learn."
